Princes and Plumbers
by Neptunefox
Summary: My first Fanfic about that I came up with involving Luigi and his chance meeting with the girl of his dreams, but there is competition to get her. Can he handle it? Story Complete! Total of 32 chapters!
1. Rude Awakenings

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mario characters, they are property of Nintendo and I do not own the Nintendo name.**

All right, my first fanfic on this site hope you all enjoy!

**Princes and Plumbers**

**Chapter 1: Rude Awakenings**

Night fades away as the sun peeks over the horizon, slowly climbing into the sky. As light pours in from the east, eager toads, goombas, and koopas prepare for the day and what a big day it was; as today is Princess Toadstool's birthday. The small village outside the castle is in mere minutes a flutter of activity with everyone preparing for the celebration. Tayce T. quickly exits her house and heads for the castle, pots in hand to prepare the meal for the day. Others are handling decorations or in Minh T.'s case, flowers as they of course are her specialty.

A warp pipe away, one of the sun's rays finally pierces through the bottom pane of the window and right into Luigi's sleeping eyes. He squints slightly and raises his hand to shield his eyes from the seemingly blinding light. Dozily, he stumbles out of bed and draws the curtains. He gives a dazed smile as he settles back into bed and drifts back into sleep when…

"Luigi! Luigi!" Mario furiously shakes his snoozing brother.

"Mario," Luigi whines, "it is barely nine o'clock! There is no need for me to get up right now."

"Oh come on Luigi," Mario insists, "it is a beautiful day!" He then rips open the curtains to let in the sunlight that Luigi desired to block. Luigi groans and rolls onto his side, away from the light. "Oh don't be such a sour puss," Mario scolds. "There is a huge event at the castle today and we should both get there as soon as possible."

"Mario, you know I don't like those big-to-dos at the castle. Why don't you go and enjoy yourself while I (yawns) stay here."

"Oh no, you're coming with me this time! It's important; it's the Princess's birthday you know."

"Oh, that's nice," Luigi notes not really paying attention to Mario's pleas.

"Urgh," Mario grunts in frustration. "Do not make me drag you there, because we both know I will!"

"You're the big hero bro, you don't need me there."

"I don't, but Peach wants you there so you are going to be there," Mario vows as he rips the covers off his brother, grabs his ankle, and drags him out of bed onto the cold wood floor. "Now get dressed so we can grab some breakfast and be on our way," Mario orders as he slams the door behind him.

"Oh ho owie," Luigi sighs painfully as he rises off the floor. Slowly he clambers to the dresser and gets his characteristic attire. After getting dressed, he fumbles down the steps, has a bowl of cereal with Mario, and then they both head out for the castle.

On the third floor of the castle, Princess Peach lies asleep in her large feather bed with white sheets and rose colored comforter. A smile appears on her face as she continues to dream about a certain plumber.

Dream Sequence

She is stuck in a dreary gray bricked room with a barred door. Outside she sees Bowser standing by a switch that controls a bridge that lies behind him. "Bowser let me go! You know that this will never work, Mario will come any second now and rescue me!"

"Ah my dear so true, he will come, but this time he will die! As he will step on this bridge and charge toward yours truly, hoping to stop me, but he's gonna fry instead! When he reaches the middle, I'll pull this switch, the bridge will collapse and poof! No more plumber," Bowser exclaims following with a devilish laugh.

"Mario will see right through your trap, you'll never succeed you oversized turtle!"

"Hey, that's King Oversized Turtle to you," Bowser sneers. "Or better yet, you could call me the King of the Mushroom Kingdom my dear."

"Not going to happen, only in your dreams," Peach retorts.

"Well then, welcome to my dream babe or perhaps your nightmare!" Peach cringes in disgust as Bowser chuckles, and then loud bangs and a familiar 'Wahoo!' catches their attention. "Well, well guess who's here?" Bowser grins as he steps in front of the switch and waits for Mario to appear. The plumber jumps through the doorway with scratches on his face and spots Bowser opposite of him.

"Alright lizard breath, let the Princess go before I come over there and clobber ya," Mario threatens.

"Really now plunger boy, then if your so tough why don't you come over here and prove it," Bowser baits.

"It will be a pleasure!" He starts to charge down the bridge.

"Mario, no," Peach screams. He stops only a few feet from the edge he started on. "It's a trap the bridge will collapse!"

Bowser grunts vexed, "Curses, no matter! Either you come over here to retrieve the lovely princess or I will take her while this castle crumbles upon you!" Mario bites his lower lip, thinking of a plan.

_I got it_, Mario exclaims in his mind as he remembers the shell he just took from a koopa soldier in the past frame. _It's an oldie, but __a goodie_ "Okay bring it on King Bowsie," Mario taunts as he stands prepared to fight.

"You've got it meatball," Bowser roars, "I hate being called 'Bowsie'!" The giant koopa charges onto the bridge towards his adversary, stopping in the middle of the bridge. He inhales deeply then releases a large burst of fire. Mario bounds back avoiding being burned. As soon as the fire extinguishes he dives onto the ground and rolls under Bowser. The Koopa King lifts his leg and tries to squash Mario with no success as he dodges out of the way then sprints for the opposite side of the bridge. "Get back here," Bowser demands as he chases after Mario. The red clad plumber is a couple feet away from the switch when he leaps into the air and spins once winding up the pitch. He tosses a green koopa shell toward the switch it dings as it is turned on; the bridge is pulled out from underneath Bowser's clawed feet. "Nooo!" He drops into the hot lava, once again defeated by Mario. Speaking of, the plumber lands safely on the solid ground. Peach smiles gratefully as he pulls the keys off the wall then unlocks the door.

As soon as the door swings open, she wraps her arms around Mario's neck, "Thank goodness you're okay! I was so worried!" She hugs him tight, not wanting to let go.

"Princess you don't have to worry about me" Mario reassures. "It was you I was worried about! I mean, I couldn't live if I lost you. Life wouldn't be worth living!" Peach hugs him harder; a tear escapes from her eye and runs down her cheek. She releases him and looks into his blue eyes.

"I couldn't live without you either," she whispers as her gloved hand brushes his cheek. His hand reaches for hers and brings it down to grasp it between his own.

"Peach, I have wanted to tell you for a long time now, but I," he gulps nervously as beads of sweat form on his forehead.

"Yes," she answers, encouraging him to continue. Hope fills her sky blue eyes.

"I um, (gulp) I love you Princess," he stammers.

"I love you too Mario," she replies ecstatically. Relief spills over him along with excitement; they stare at each other with glee then the gap between them starts to close. Her arms find their way back to resting on his shoulders as his wrap around her waist. Eyes droop close as their lips touch. Chills spread throughout her body as his hands graze her back.

Suddenly a voice screams out, "Princess Toadstool!"

End Dream

Her eyes snap open to see Toadsworth beside her bed with a disapproving grimace on his face. "Princess, do you know what time it is?" She looks at him with a blank stare. "Ten o'clock," he promptly responds to her expression.

"Can't I just sleep for another hour or so," Peach pleads.

Toadsworth sighs, "No Princess today is a very special day, remember and we cannot pull it off without you. A birthday with out the birthday girl would just be inappropriate."

"Oh right it is my birthday," Peach exclaims having forgot, "I must get ready everyone will be here soon!" She leaps out of bed and makes her way to the bathroom. "I'll be down in a half hour," she informs before closing the door and starting her shower. Toadsworth rolls his eyes as he waddles out of Peach's room.

"Princesses," he grumbles as he shuts the door and makes his way to the kitchen.


	2. Party Time

**Chapter 2: Party Time**

Mario and Luigi stand before Peach's castle watching as various toads scramble about; going in, coming out, and going around the castle, decorating trees with streamers of pink and blue. "Wow, this is going to be great! Look at this Luigi, it is going to be a spectacular party," Mario predicts excitedly.

"Yeah, a great party," Luigi notes sarcastically as he watches a toad struggling to carry a large wrapped box across the bridge. The toad slowly makes it to the end of the bridge and plops down in exhaustion. Luigi quickly hops over and grabs the box, "Where does it go," he asks the worn out toad.

"Oh just in the side garden on the table with all the others," he instructs between heaves. "Thanks."

"No problem," Luigi replies as he turns for the garden. "Hey Mario, shouldn't we have some sort of present for the Princess? Being her birthday and all…"

"Oh no, mama mia! I can't believe I forgot to get Peach a present," Mario exclaims in disbelief and worry. "Wait, I got it! Luigi, I'll be back in an hour or two," he informs as he runs back toward town.

"Mario where are you going," Luigi yells after him.

"Keep Peach occupied for me!" Mario disappears in the distance and Luigi sighs.

_I doubt that he is going to bring back something to give her from the both of us. I am going to have to come up with something on my own, something simple._ He sighs at the implications of that thought.

Flashback

Luigi wakes up to the cold, brisk morning no wanting to get up. He swings his feet out of bed and onto the floor for a second. "Ahhh!" He quickly places his feet back under the covers as they feel as if frozen by the brief contact with the icy floor. Now fully awake, Luigi leans over the edge and digs his slippers out from underneath the bed. He slips his feet in and wraps his blanket around him, taking it with him to get the mail. Snow wavers down from the clouds and blankets the usually colorful world in white, "Brrr…" Luigi chatters as he dashes to and from the mailbox. "Nothing but junk," he tosses the letters onto the table and notices a folded note with his name on it. "Okie dokie," he mutters confused as the opens it.

Luigi,

I had to go to Sar…Sa…land? Oh fooey! Some other kingdom to save some princess, don't worry I'll be back soon!

-Mario

PS- Check on Princess Toadstool for me, please? Thanks bro. Owe ya one!

Luigi sighs, "Always having some grand adventure while I sit here bored out of my mind. Argh!" Luigi eats breakfast and gets dressed before setting out for the castle. "I guess I could tell her while Mario's gone," he ponders aloud looking at Mario's picture of her on the desk. "It is the best time, but I have a bad feeling about this. What if I upset her? I don't want to do that; she's too nice of a person to do that too, but I got to tell her sooner or later." Grabbing his thick green parka, he opens the door and braves the weather to walk to Toadstool's castle.

A couple of minutes later, he stands in the foyer waiting for Toadsworth to come back as he musters the courage to continue with his plan.

"Master Luigi," Toadsworth beckons from the tope of the stairs, "the princess will see you now." Luigi climbs the stairs and thanks Toadsworth as he heads downstairs. Taking on last deep breath, Luigi gently knocks on the door.

"Yes, come in Luigi," Peach answers with what sounds like a distraught tone. He slowly opens the door and walks in.

Looking around he cannot seem to find the princess anywhere, "Princess? Princess? Princess, where are you," Luigi asks afraid something was wrong.

"I'm in the restroom," she answers from behind a closed door off the right of her bed.

He cautiously approaches the door, "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, (sniffle), just don't come in okay?"

"Okay," Luigi agrees as he shuffles his feet, "uh Princess may I tell you something?"

"Sure Luigi, you can tell me anything," Peach responds as she blows her nose.

Luigi gulps, "Well please don't get upset with me, I, I…" he pulls his collar nervously, feeling as if he cannot breathe. "I, I, know it will not mean much or change anything, but I feel I should be honest," Luigi stammers. He closes his eyes and takes one final deep breath before plunging in, "Princess, ever since Mario introduced us I have had deep feelings for you." He tries to continue on, but for some reason cannot get the words out. A large sob erupts from the bathroom as the door opens; Princess Peach stands in the doorway with red puffy eyes and tears running down her face. "Ah! Princess I'm so sorry! I didn't meant to upset you this much," he backpedals as he finds a box of tissues and hands them to her. She takes a couple and dives her face into them as Luigi continues, "I, I, I'm so sorry! I just wanted to be honest. I knew this was a bad idea!"

Peach brings her face up out of the tissues, "It's not you Luigi, I'm glad you told me. I just didn't want to hurt your feelings." She begins to sob again, "I feel so guilty, but I see you as a friend, a great friend, but a friend."

"Princess it's alright, I figured you probably wouldn't feel the same way. You have a deeper connection with Mario," at this the Princess begins to cry harder. "Whoa, was it something I said?"

"It's just that Mario left to save some other princess this morning! Or at least that's what Toadsworth told me," she sniffles. "I'm being silly, but what if he…I can't even say it," more tears stream down her face as Luigi stares at her confused.

"Wait; are you worried that Mario would ever fall for another Princess?" She looks at him with concern in her eyes. "That's impossible," he reassures her.

"Really," she asks between sobs.

"Of course, you're the kindest, most loving person Mario has ever known, he cares a lot about you. He even sent me over here to check in on you."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he wanted me to make sure you were alright and I guess tell you where he went."

"Where," she asks eagerly.

"Uh he couldn't spell it, all he had was S-A-R-S-A-land with a question mark. Any idea where that is?"

"Sarasaland is a small kingdom to the east."

"Ah well that is where he is and he said not to worry because he would be back soon."

"Thank you Luigi! You've helped put my mind at ease," she gives him a hug. "And thank you for understanding." She releases him and kisses him on the cheek, "You're a great friend."

End Flashback

_So simple and friendly, uh,_ Luigi scratches his chin in thought as Minh T. passes by with a bunch of flowers. "Hey Minh T.," Luigi calls. The young female toad turns around and peers over the sunflowers in her hands at Luigi.

"Yes Mr. Luigi?"

"I was wondering if you knew what kind flower Princess Toadstool liked," he asks. "If it is not too much trouble."

"Pink roses, I believe," Minh T. perkily responds, "but I don't have any growing in my garden."

"Any idea where I can find some?"

"Well they don't grow here, mostly they are found near Yoshi's village," Luigi grimaces, "but I believe there is a trader today at the port who sells bunches of things from the places outside of the kingdom, including flowers. He might have some if you can catch him."

"What's his name?"

"Karl Koopa, I believe."

"Thanks Minh T., be back in a flash!" Luigi sprints off toward the port. Twenty minutes later, he returns with a boutique of pink roses in hand. _Ah ha! Simple and friendly! What princess doesn't like flowers?_ Luigi walk to the side garden and places the flowers on the table with a card that reads:

Happy Birthday!

From Your Friend,

Luigi

He smiles at the table full of gifts; the boutique on top then scans the garden decorated in pink and blue. _Wow, the toads have outdone themselves today_, Luigi admires when someone clearing their throat catches his attention. He looks down to see Toadsworth standing there. "Wah!"

"Master Luigi, where is Master Mario," he asks strangely calm.

"Eh, I don't know," Luigi responds with a nervous smile. Toadsworth sighs irritated.

"The Princess wishes to speak to him in private and no one knows where he is! This is quite unacceptable."

"He'll be back soon," Luigi notes optimistically.

"How soon," Toadsworth interrogates.

"I'm not sure…."

"Why how useful can that be if you don't know when he will return?"

"Toadsworth, it's alright, it can wait," Princess Peach calls from behind. Toadsworth grumbles as he walks away, back toward the castle. "Sorry Luigi, he gets very temperamental and grumpy when it comes to setting up and having events here at the castle."

"It's okay Princess, he just scares the living daylights out of me."

Peach giggles then leans toward him to whisper in his ear, "To be honest, he scares me too." They both chuckle at the expense of the old toad. "Well anyway, thank you for coming, I know you're not a party person, but I wanted you here."

"No problem Princess."

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Peach," she smiles enjoying nagging him.

"Ah, but that would be quite unacceptable," Luigi responds imitating Toadsworth. Again they both laugh, until Peach is beckoned by the old toad again.

"Oh geez, called again. I'll talk to you later Luigi," she notes as she walks off.

Luigi waves goodbye then looks to the path leading to the castle and cannot help but wonder, _Where is Mario? _

Meanwhile just outside of town, Mario chases after a recognizable thief. "Mama Mia! Come back with that!" Mario demands as he chases after his cousin, clad in yellow.

"Thanks for the gift, pudgy," Wario laughs as he continues down the path.

"Pudgy! Look who's a talking, tubby!" Mario becomes wary of the chase and decides to end it quickly. He starts to sprint faster then leaps into the air and lands on top of Wario, tackling him to the ground. Quickly, Mario pins Wario to the ground, "Now give it back, you greedy pig," he demands struggling to grab his cousin's arms.

"No! It's mine," Wario defends, keeping his arms tucked underneath his body. "And I like being greedy Mr. Goodie-Goodie."

"That is for the Princess not you!" Mario finally manages to squeeze his hand underneath Wario and nab the rose jewel from his hands. "Thank you, now I'll be on my way," Mario proclaims as he jumps off Wario and sprints down the path.

"Gah," Wario sighs as he gets up, "Come back with that jewel. It belongs with its friends, in my treasure chest!" Wario gives chase; Mario looks back, but is not worried until he suddenly is lifted from the ground by the ankle. The ground is now the sky, the sky is the ground and floating there is the gem, until Wario catches up to him. "Heh, heh, no so tough eh pudgy," Wario taunts as he picks up the jewel. "Hey Waluigi, you can come out now." Mario's other cousin emerges from the brush, a very tall and skinny man clad in purple. "Heh, heh, good job with the trap."

"Hah, hah yeah! We make a good team!" Waluigi grins at the helpless Mario.

"Let's get outta here," Wario suggests and walks back toward town.

"Yeah, see ya later meatloaf," Waluigi waves as Mario then follows Wario down the path and disappears.

Mario sighs dejectedly, "Mama Mia, now what am I going to do?" He tries to pull himself up to untie the rope, but cannot reach it. _Stupid Wario, now what will I get Peach for her birthday?_ As Mario ponders, the rope snaps sending him crashing into the ground. "Ow, my head," Mario holds his head in his hands and stumbles back toward the castle.

The castle comes into sight as Mario drags himself toward the side garden where Luigi is continuing to admire the decorations. Spotting Mario, he quickly runs up to greet him, "Mario! Where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you bro., whoa!" Luigi stops noticing the dirt on Mario's face and overalls and how Mario is rubbing the back of his head. "What happened to you?"

"Luigi, it was terrible! Our stupid cousins ambushed me!"

"Oh no," Luigi exclaims, "But why would Wario and Waluigi do that?"

"I had a rose colored gem back at the house so I went and got it. After taking it to be polished, I was on my way back when Wario tripped me on the road and snatched it. I chased after him and got it back, but then I got caught in a trap set by Waluigi. They stormed off and left me hanging there. Now I have a nothing to give to the Princess." Mario gloomily looks at the ground.

"Don't worry, we will think of something," Luigi reassures as Princess Peach reappears.

"Mario, finally! Now we can start the party," she drags him off as Luigi is stuck thinking.

"Well, I guess I will come up with something," Luigi mumbles to himself. He looks around the garden trying to come up with a plan, his eyes fall upon the roses. _You owe me one bro._ He rushes into the castle and up to the second floor, into the study. He goes through the drawers and finds some cardstock and a pen. Quickly he jots down a note to Peach signing Mario's name and jogs down stairs to head out to the garden when he hears Peach's voice.

"We'll get them Toadsworth, just be patient."

_Oh shoot the Princess, I better hide_, he looks around and the closest room is the kitchen. He dashes in and hides underneath the table, luckily a tablecloth had been placed on for the celebration. Luigi crunches under the table waiting for the coast to be clear when Peach and Mario follow him into the kitchen. _Oh no, I'm in hot water now! Better not make a sound._ Luigi waits in silence unnoticed by Mario and Peach.

"Which plates are we using," Mario asks.

"They're in the cabinet over there, the blue plastic ones," she replies. Mario stacks them on the table as Peach brings out the cups. "Mario, may I ask you something?"

"Sure Princess, anything," Mario responds. Peach wrangles her hands nervously, unsure what to say.

"Well, we've been great friends for a while now, really close friends," she takes a deep breath and fans herself with her hand. "Do you only wish to be friends?"

He looks at her puzzled, "I don't understand, are you mad at me?"

"No, no, Mario I'm not mad at you," she nervously laughs, "I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear; I'll try again. Mario, I really care about you and I want to be more than friends." Mario's and Luigi's mouths drop to the floor, the first in shock and excitement, the latter in shock and horror. Luigi clutches his chest feeling as if stuck with a thousand needles.

_I knew this would happen, but I didn't want to be here when it did!_ He feels crushed as a tear drips down his cheek, off his chin, and onto his knee.

Mario's eyes sparkle with excitement as a smile forms on his face. "Peach are you saying what I think you're saying," he asks as he walks around the table to stand in front of her. She blushes as she nods her head 'yes', in response he rushes over and hugs her. "I am the happiest man alive!" They embrace for a couple of minutes then Peach leans down towards his face. Their eyelids become heavier as they get closer and finally their lips meet. Adrenaline rushes through their bodies as their feeling for one another are finally expressed. More tears drip down Luigi's face as he listens to the silence, realizing what was happening only inches away from him. The silence is ended with a gruff, "Ahem." Everyone jumps back in surprise, Luigi knocking his head on the underside of the table. He rubs his head as hears Toadsworth's voice.

"What is going on in here," he asks impatiently.

"Uh, I, um," Mario stammers and is cut off by the elderly toad.

"We have a party out there waiting to have cake and watch the Princess open her presents while you are well," he pauses, scrambling to find the appropriate words, "engaged in other things. I say most inappropriate, what am I going to do with you two?" Peach and Mario stare at Toadsworth waiting for him to finish his rant. "Well what are you waiting for? Take the plates and cups out to our guests," he demands. The princess and plumber quickly grab the dinnerware and rush toward the garden. "Aye," Toadsworth sighs, "I guess there will be no more princes visiting this castle then, only plumbers. That reminds me, where is Master Luigi? I swear there is no way of keeping track of anyone around here!" The toad rubs his temples in frustration as he walks out of the kitchen; the door swings shut after him and Luigi crawls out from underneath the table. His face is flushed, eyes red, with tear trails streaming down his cheeks. He pulls out the note he forged for Mario and looks at it.

_This shouldn't hurt this much. I knew it was coming, but I never wanted to believe it…_ Luigi wipes away another tear as he slides the card into his pocket. He steps over to the sink and splashes cold water onto his face, in hopes of reducing the redness. _Got to pull myself together,_ he takes a deep breath and heads for the front door.

"Alright, let's open up some presents shall we," Peach beams as the toads cheer in excitement. "Okay what's first? Ah, how about these flowers," she reaches for them as Luigi turns the corner of the castle and toward the garden.

"Wait," he yells as he runs up to the party.

"Oh there you are, we were wondering where you had wandered off to," Peach notes.

"Sorry Princess, but this card was blown away and I had to catch it, almost made it into town," he lies.

"Luigi, your face is all red and your eyes are puffy, are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm just out of breath and got some dirt in my eyes that's all." He hands her the card, "It goes with the flowers."

"Thank you," she notes as she picks up the boutique and Luigi steps back next to Mario.

Mario eyes his brother with suspicion then whispers, "What happened?"

"I was under the table," Luigi whispers back. Mario raises his eyebrow in puzzlement, "the kitchen table." Mario's mouth drops open and tries to apologize when the Princess interrupts.

"Oh thank you guys," she gives both of them a hug. "Pink roses are my favorite, how did you know?"

"We can't give away our sources right Mario," Luigi asks trying to act normal.

"No, I guess we can't," Mario plays along still somewhat confused.

Hours later, the party is over and the brothers are home; Luigi laying on the couch moping while Mario paces back and forth interrogating him. "Why didn't you tell me," Mario asks concerned. "I knew you liked her a little, but if I had known I would have stopped myself."

"Mario, there is no need to worry about it now; what's done is done; besides like I said earlier she rejected me while you were in Sarasaland."

"I know, but under the table while Peach and I," he blushes.

"Kissed Mario, the word is kissed," Luigi fills in, slightly vexed as he sits up.

"See this is what I am talking about," Mario spouts, "How am I to believe you are not mad when you snap at me like that!"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want to see that alright? It still hurts," Luigi yells.

"The truth, see that's all I wanted," Mario yells back. Luigi sighs depressed and Mario sits beside him on the couch. "I'm really sorry Luigi," Mario apologizes, "I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I hope you can forgive me."

Luigi smiles, "Ah bro, you know I can't stay mad at you," he accepts as he playfully punches Mario in the shoulder. "Besides we should be celebrating!" Mario gives his brother what seems like the hundredth confused look that day, "It's not everyday that a Brooklyn plumber ends up with a princess." Mario smiles as he knows his brother is fine then they head out to the village to hit a buffet restaurant with a never ending pasta bar.


	3. Pipes and Trains

Finally another update, sorry it took so long guys! Life tends to get in the way sometimes, not to mention writer's block. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Again I do not own any of these characters, they are property of Nintendo. **

**Chapter 3: Pipes and Trains**

A few weeks pass by and everyone settles into a new routine, the toads go back to their daily business as Mario spends most of his time at the castle with Princess Peach, while Luigi is either at home or in town. A big change for the green clad plumber as before when the toads needed help, Mario was always there man, but now with him always being at the castle and helping there, Luigi is on call. Both brothers enjoy the new situation as Luigi is no longer bored and Mario gets to spend time with Peach, help with the castle, and not worry about his brother moping around the house all day. Mario sits up in bed, waking from a good night's sleep and climbs down from the top bunk. After getting dressed, he heads to the kitchen for breakfast. He pulls out a bowl from the cabinet and grabs the cereal from the top of the refrigerator then sits down at the table, noticing the mail and a folded note. "Huh," Mario mutters aloud as he opens the note.

Mario-

Went to the port, as the water is becoming polluted somehow and the toads cannot figure out why. Hopefully this is not the work of our cousins…. Anyway, have a great day at the castle! Say Hi to the Princess for me!

-Luigi

Mario chuckles, "He's getting as a bad as me, disappearing all the time and leaving notes." He finishes breakfast and heads off to the castle.

It is a bright sunny day and the sun's rays beam off the castle's white bricks giving it an inviting glow. Mario approaches the front door and walks in through the door without knocking, no longer needing for the formality. He enters the vast foyer where the castle servants are hastily cleaning. Mario scratches his head, wondering what was happening when a sweet voice calls to him.

"Mario!"

He quickly looks up to see Princess Peach coming down the stairs in her best attire. "Peach what is going on? I thought all the important castle events were over for a while."

"Oh this is a last minute thing, but a friend of mine is coming to visit," she claps her hands in excitement. "I haven't seen Daisy since we were just kids!"

"Daisy," Mario's head snaps up, "You mean the princess from Sarasaland?"

"Yes this is so exciting! She'll finally meet you! I've told her all about you and Luigi in my letters, but now she can see you in person!"

"But she has already met me," Mario reminds her.

"What," Peach asks confused then thinks for a second, "Oh yeah! I forgot you rescued her from that alien guy."

"Tatanga," Mario corrects.

"Right, right," Peach agrees, "well, that just saves me an introduction! Oh I'm so excited! Okay there are only a couple of things to take care of yet, I need to check on the kitchen staff and make sure that Toadsworth is ready to take us to the train station to pick her up."

"Does he really have to come," Mario asks, "I mean I'll be there."

"Yes sweetie I know, but he insists as he worries about Daisy, she's sort of independent." Mario gives her a confused look she smiles and kisses him on the cheek. "I'll explain on the way."

Meanwhile in the middle of town, not too far from the port, Luigi drops down into the main sewer pipe. "Mister Luigi, are you alright," Chanterelle calls down while holding her nose from the stench.

"Yeah, I think I found the problem! Someone switched the flow of the pipes," Luigi calls back as he begins to switch the pipe flow back to normal. Ten minutes later, Luigi reemerges with his tool box, "That should do it." Chanterelle grimaces as she backs away from him, waving her hand in front of her face rapidly.

"Thank you, but phew! You need a shower honey," she complains.

Luigi laughs, "Yeah sorry, but first let's check the waterfront." They run to the docks to find the water running clear of any further contaminates and also the pranksters responsible for the switch.

"Hey fish boy, I said give me your cash," Wario demands.

"I don't have any," Fishmael answers for the tenth time, "Now would you leave me alone? The water is finally clean enough to fish again!" Waluigi is sitting on one of the docks waiting for Wario as he also notices the cleaner water.

"Wario! The water's clean, someone must have fixed my work! How annoying…" he notes.

"Why do I care, I just want some gold!"

"Argh, why do I even bother with you? All you care about is gold!"

"Well at least I am focused on something, string bean," Wario taunts.

"How can you even call yourself evil if you don't just enjoy making mischief, blubber boy," Waluigi shoots back. The two continue to call each other names and argue about who is more evil until Luigi interrupts them.

"So you two are behind this!" The Elvin brothers stop and turn toward him.

"Oh it's just you," Wario nonchalantly notes, "Eh, I got no business with you. It was his idea," he points to Waluigi. "Now if you don't mind, I'm off to find me some cash." Wario walks away, leaving Waluigi to fend for himself.

"Sellout," Waluigi yells to Wario then turns his attention back to Luigi.

"Why did you switch the pipes," Luigi interrogates.

"Gee, let's think here for a minute, oh yeah. I'm evil remember! Duh," Waluigi sarcastically remarks.

"Grr, you'll pay for what you've done!"

"Really now, what are you going to do about it crybaby? Call Mario to take care of your problems," Waluigi retorts. Luigi chases him to the end of the docks where all the supply crates are stacked upon each other. The Elvin cousin scrambles up to the top of the stack with Luigi following close behind. Waluigi stands up the top of the crates and watches Luigi scramble up from behind. "Phew, I knew you were the stinky sidekick, but serious take a shower man!" Waluigi throws a smaller crate at Luigi, sending him crashing into the water. Luigi quickly resurfaces and swims to the side of the harbor to follow the fleeing menace.

"Get back here," Luigi yells as he follows Waluigi through town. The purple clad Wario brother leads them to the southern part of town. They pass the Li'l-Oink farm and Luigi realizes Waluigi's plan of escape and sprints faster. The gap between the cousins begins to close much to Waluigi's dismay. A train begins to enter the station and Waluigi's eyes brighten as a plan forms in his mind. With ease he hops over the gate like a seasoned track runner over a hurdle and sprints up to the platform. "Uh oh, not good," Luigi grunts as he pulls himself over the gate.

The green grassy fields are a welcome sight to Daisy as she awakes from her two hour nap. _Oh good we must be getting close now_, she yawns trying to fully wake up. _A five hour train ride just seems so long now_. Being so, she still loves riding the train and is excited to come see her friend Peach whom she had not seen in years. She also enjoyed the fact that she convinced her father that she could make the trip alone without the accompaniment of bodyguards; she smirks at the thought of that accomplishment, _Never__ liked feeling like I was getting followed all the time, even if that is their job._ Of course, Peach had a conniption when Daisy had told her that in her last letter as she worried about her safety. Daisy is not worried as she figures, _No one will bother me if they can get a hold of Peach instead, never did fit the damsel in distress role well._ Suddenly she is pulled forward as the train's brakes squeal as the driver uses them. Snapping out of her thoughts she grabs for her suitcase. _Here's my stop_, Daisy smiles relieved, more than ready to get off the train.

The train comes to a complete stop as the conductor call, "Toad Town, Toad Town Station." He is quickly shoved aside, off the platform into the grass by Waluigi. He laughs mischievously and barges onto the train. Toads, koopas, and goombas scurry around him as he makes his way further back in the train.

"Get out of the way," he commands a group of passengers as they rush toward the front to get onto the platform.

Luigi rushes around the platform to grab the conductor and brings him back to the station platform. "Where'd he go," Luigi asks the black clad toad.

"He boarded the train," the conductor responds dizzily, head still spinning from the harsh landing in the grass. A scream comes from the train and Luigi carefully sets down the conductor to fight the oncoming rush of passengers to get on the train.

Waluigi makes his way to the third car and suddenly stops; he stares wide eyed at the woman standing in front of him. "Wowah," he exclaims while waggling his eyebrows. "Hello cutie, what's your name," he asks as tries to kiss her hand. In response, she jerks her hand back and slaps him, sending him smashing into the seats.

"None of your business creep," she screeches as she grabs her suitcase and tries to run pass him. Waluigi shakes the cobwebs out as he rubs the sore spot on his head where it made contact with the wall. He manages to get onto his feet and follows the woman toward the front of the train and grabs her arm.

"Ooo, a spirited gal, I enjoy a challenge! Come on sweetie, what's the rush? We just met," he smirks; she promptly smacks him again, this time with the suitcase. He tumbles down the aisle and smacks into the back wall. She continues toward the front as the train's engine hums to life preparing for the next stretch of travel.

"No bodyguards? Is she crazy? In this kingdom anything could happen," Mario exclaims as he, Peach, and Toadsworth walk toward the train station.

"Exactly what I thought," Peach agrees, "But unfortunately she is also so stubborn. She refuses to listen to reason sometimes."

"Well sooner or later she will calm down," Toadsworth explains. Mario gives him a questioning look, waiting for him to explain. "I remember Peach use to be a little adventurous herself. Oh yes it was hard to keep her contained, always wanting to solve all of the kingdom's problems head on." Mario glances over at Peach who blushes a little, remembering those times. "However," Toadsworth continues, "then Bowser came and kidnapped her for the first time."

Mario scratches his head in confusion, "So wait, because you got kidnapped you became more cautious?" Peach looks up to answer him, but Toadsworth interrupts once more to answer for her.

"No, no, the fact that she was kidnapped only made her more determined to fix the kingdom's problems, but the fact that someone came to rescue her, calmed her down."

"What," Mario asks in disbelief.

"She knew that if people were going to go through the trouble of putting themselves at risk for her that she, herself, should try to prevent that need in the first place. That way she could focus on being ruler of the kingdom."

"Oh," Mario realizes as he smiles at Peach. "You don't have to be careful for my sake, I'll be more than happy to kick some Bowser tail for you." Peach giggles as Toadsworth comments.

"Now, now let's not encourage anything rash! I'm not sure my old heart could take it again, I already being put in charge of one rowdy princess, do not make it two!" Both Mario and Peach laugh at the elderly toad's concern as the train station comes into sight.

"Departing for Mt. Rugged in one minute," warns the driver over the crackling intercom system as Luigi is stepping onto the train. All the passengers are rushing around, either to their seats or off the train. A stream of passengers pushes him back onto the platform he grunts in frustration then looks down the line of train cars noticing the last car did not have any passengers streaming out and heads toward it. "Preparing for departure," the intercom barks. Daisy rounds the corner into the entranceway, Waluigi right behind her. He reaches for her arm again when he sees Luigi through the window running toward the back. Luigi spots him and stops, turning back around for the door Waluigi was making for.

"Drat," Waluigi curses watching Luigi rushing toward his position. He looks back to the woman in front of him. _Well its been fun babe_, he smiles to himself as he pushes her down the steps. Luigi grabs the bar and swings into the entranceway as Waluigi pushes the woman.

"Uh oh," Luigi notes before she falls on top of Luigi, pushing him yet again onto the platform. The doors shut and Waluigi smiles as the train pulls away from the station, leaving his cousin in the dust. Luigi cranes his head up and watches the train pull away. He sighs frustrated. _How __is it__ that he gets away from me every time?_ Luigi mentally kicks himself for letting Waluigi get away yet again then looks down at the woman that had landed on him. "Are you alright," he asks concerned. She stirs and looks up at him; she blushes embarrassed and brings herself to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, whoa," she holds her head and stumbles a little to the side as she feels lightheaded from the fall. He grabs a hold of her, preventing her from tipping over.

"Whoa careful there," he advises. She looks up at him and he feels as though his heart has stopped completely for a minute. _Wow, she's really beautiful_, he feels his face warming up, he was blushing, but he could not help it. Her short auburn hair shimmered in the sun light, her skin had a sun kissed tint with rosy cheeks and those deep cerulean eyes that reminded him of the ocean. He could get lost in those eyes for hours, but he snaps himself out of his daze as she begins to stand on her own.

"Thank you so much," she notes gratefully, "I am so sorry that I fell on you…twice. I'm pretty klutzy at times especially in heels." They both chuckle and Luigi begins to respond when a familiar voice yells out.

"Daisy!" Luigi turns to see Princess Peach running toward them. Peach engulfs Daisy in a hug squeezing tightly. "I'm so glad you are here!" Luigi backs up toward Mario and Toadsworth wondering what exactly was going on.

"Hey Luigi, what are you doing here," Mario asks.

"It's a long story," Luigi exasperates, "why are you guys here?"

"Why we came to pick up the princess of course," Toadsworth answers.

"What princess," Luigi asks and Mario smacks his head at his brother's obliviousness.

"Princess Daisy of Sarasaland! Princess Toadstool's long time friend," Toadsworth exclaims vexed. Luigi's eyes widen as he looks back toward the two women.

"You mean she's a…." Luigi starts as Mario confirms with a nod. "Mamma Mia!"


	4. Singles or Doubles?

**Chapter 4: Singles or Doubles?**

The five head for the castle, Toadsworth leads with the two princesses giggling behind him, and bringing up the rear are Mario and Luigi. Luigi watches the ground, lost in thought. _How can this be? She's a princess, I mean not that it is a bad thing, but what are the chances? I cannot win over a princess! She probably has droves of guys at her door…oh this cannot be happening._ He looks up at the women in front of him; Daisy leans over to Peach and whispers something in her ear causing Peach to burst out laughing. Luigi gulps, again getting that feeling he had at the train station, a mixture of awe and bewilderment. He lowers his eyes back to the ground, not knowing what to think. Mario notices his brother's steady gaze at the ground, knowing that something is wrong, nudges him.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just tired," Luigi lies.

"Tired already? It's only one o'clock!"

"It's been a long day for me."

"Well, it's about to get longer Mr. Mope," Mario teases, "as we are going to have some fun at the castle since low and behold you are actually here. Not a small feat if you ask me!"

Luigi sighs, "I'm not that bad, am I?" Mario laughs in response. "Okay, so maybe I don't hang out at the castle so much, but it's not like I have a need to! Besides what are we doing anyway?"

"We will be having a picnic in the courtyard and hopefully we'll play some tennis afterwards," Peach interjects.

"What she said," Mario agrees.

"Tennis? Whoa, whoa, I am not playing with Toadsworth again. He can't hit the wide side of a barn much less a tennis ball," Luigi gripes.

"I will have you know Master Luigi, that back in my day I was a superb tennis player," Toadsworth responses.

"Back in the day," Luigi retorts. Toadsworth glares at him fiercely as if calling for a lighting bolt to strike Luigi dead where he stands. The princesses giggle quietly as Toadsworth responds.

"I have other matters to attend to anyway, not that I would not enjoy disproving your bantering, but I will not be playing. I will probably check upon all of you later I suppose, watch to see how well you play." The group starts across the bridge into the castle and enters the foyer. "Well I am off," Toadsworth notes as he turns toward them, "Mon T. should have all the food ready for your picnic in the kitchen. I will check upon you all later, enjoy." With that said he leaves for the guard hut once more while the plumbers and princesses make their way to the kitchen.

After collecting the food and needed supplies, the four head out to the courtyard. The sun glistens off the water giving the star statue that erupts from the center of the fountain a subtle glow. Peach leads the group over toward the castle's flowerbeds, which are in full bloom; Daisy smiles as they approach the beds as it is her favorite spot in Peach's castle. Peach spreads out the blanket and each person claims a corner then begins devouring their sandwiches. The princesses continue to catch up with one another as Mario occasionally jumps into the conversation while Luigi remains quiet, not sure what to say. They all begin eating watermelon that Mon. T sliced for them as Peach and Mario finish telling their latest tale about Bowser and the Shroobs. "You all went back in time? That's pretty amazing, I wish I had adventures like that," Daisy responds.

"No you don't," Mario notes, "You've had one and it wasn't fun remember?"

"Well yeah, but I was the damsel in distress, that's never fun! I want to actually do something, help someone, you know be the hero!"

Mario laughs, "It's not as easy as it sounds; you sure you are up to it?"

"Of course I am up to it! I can handle myself," Daisy shoots back.

"Toadsworth was right, you are a rowdy princess," Mario comments. Daisy scowls at Mario, not appreciating his lack of faith in her abilities.

"You would be surprised who can end up saving the day," Luigi interjects. Mario looks at him crossly as Daisy smiles. "If given the right circumstances," he mumbles.

"See he agrees with me!" Daisy exclaims then turns to Luigi, "Have you been on an adventure? I mean like by yourself?" Luigi gulps and nods his head 'yes'. "Really? What happened? Why did you have to go alone," she rapidly asks making it hard for him to keep up.

"Well, I won this mansion through a contest I never entered so Mario and I were going to check it out. Mario got there before me and got captured," Luigi stammers in response.

"Wait, you had to save him?" Daisy motions toward Mario; Luigi nods and Daisy turns toward Mario. "Not fun being the damsel in distress is it?" Mario scowls at her, not appreciating her getting the last laugh. She smirks knowing she stumped Mario and turns back to Luigi, "So what happened?" Luigi continues, describing all the battles with the various ghosts and boos and working with E. Gadd to bring down the King Boo and save Mario. Peach smiles as she watches Daisy and Luigi, noticing the little clues of interest that they giving off to each other. Daisy scoots closer and gives her full attention to the younger Mario brother while he goes into more detail with hints of exaggeration; Peach knows the story well enough to tell. She shoots a smile to Mario who is still irked by Daisy's comment; she scoots over to him and takes his hand.

"You're still my hero," she sweetly encourages whispering in his ear. He looks up at her with an appreciative grin.

"Thanks," he whispers back; she places her head on his shoulder and he leans his head against hers. Luigi finishes up his story then looks back at Peach and Mario noticing the goofy grins on their faces.

"Well," Luigi coughs, "how about that tennis game?"

"Oh yeah," Peach agrees as she stands up, "just let me go get ready." Peach begins trekking back toward the castle as Daisy quickly follows behind.

"See ya guys at the courts," Daisy shouts out before entering the castle after Peach. The brothers head toward the castle's tennis court which they frequently used for practice. Secluded from view around the back of the castle, they reach the gate and walk inside. The dirt red court brightly gleams against the blue that surrounds it, from the towering referee post to the side chairs and benches for the players. Opposite of the gate, is a small building where the locker rooms are. Mario and Luigi head there as their stuff is housed in the locker room as they usually never compete in a tournament without Peach and they do not have room at their place. They descend down the stairs into the chilly concrete locker room and begin to pry open their lockers. Luigi unable to take the silence anymore turns to Mario.

"Are you okay? You haven't said a word since the picnic."

"I'm fine," Mario answers stoically.

Luigi shakes his head, "Oh boy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Mario answers as he pulls out his bag and slams his locker shut. "I just am not use to her yet that's all." Luigi scratches his head in confusion as he follows Mario back up to the court.

"What do you mean? Who are you not use to yet?"

"Daisy and I am saying that I am not use to her personality," they set down their bags near the side chairs and dig out their rackets. "I have met quite a few princesses and usually they are pretty much quiet and shy, like Peach. Heck when I first met Daisy, she reminded me of Peach a lot, but now she's very outspoken."

"Is that so bad? Not every princess can be like Peach you know," Luigi defends.

"I know; it's not a bad thing, just different. I got to be on my toes to keep up with her; can't let her get the last jab you know," Mario smirks and Luigi rolls his eyes. "Come on, its all in good fun. She's like the little sister we never had. Besides why are you defending her so adamantly? You barely know her!"

"No reason…."

"Uh huh," Mario notes sarcastically, "You're not a very good liar." He cocks an eyebrow up and looks at his younger brother suspiciously with a devious smirk, "You want to tell me something Weegie?" Luigi swallows hard and shakes his head 'no'. "Nothing at all," Mario presses.

"Nope, nothing," Luigi responds nervously. Mario continues to give his brother a hard time, but stops when someone calls out to them.

"Hey guys," Daisy calls as she runs up from the gate to them. "Ready to get stomped," she banters confidently.

"Ha, you wish! Me and Luigi here are going to wipe the floor with you," Mario jests back, just as confident.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that plumber boy," Daisy teases.

Luigi blinks a couple of times confused. "Does this mean we have chosen teams already?" Peach emerges from the locker room with the equipment and comes up behind Daisy.

"So girls against boys," Peach asks excited.

"Yep," both Mario and Daisy answer in unison. The princesses take the side closest to the gate with Daisy in server's position opposite of Mario. Luigi looks back at Mario, noting the determined look on his face then looks back across the net noticing Daisy's look of determination as well.

_Oh boy, this is going to be interesting_, Luigi thinks to himself as Daisy serves the ball for volley. From there, the set stays pretty evenly matched; the brothers take the first and fourth games while the girls sweep the second and third. Now they were in the fifth and last game of the match, all of them pretty tired, but enjoying themselves too much to bother with a break. Mario and Peach were in the server's positions with Luigi and Daisy at the net. He gives a shy smile as he approaches the net, she smiles back and gives a little wave causing Luigi's smile to grow a little wider. She giggles and upon hearing her Mario intervenes.

"Ready to stomp some girls Luigi," Mario asks assertively as he bounces the tennis ball on the court. Luigi snaps out of his daze and nods 'yes' remembering that they were in fact in the middle of a tennis match.

"Oh come on now, you don't want to beat up on some innocent princesses; do you," Daisy coos, as Peach shakes her head and snickers behind her. Luigi gulps unsure what to say, but is saved by Mario.

"Love serving love," Mario shouts out as he smacks the ball over the net toward Peach. She returns it with ease and it bounces past Luigi back to Mario who hits it, but it is intercepted by Daisy. Quickly Luigi hits it, sending it veering far to the left where both princesses miss it. "Ah ha! Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Nice hit bro! A couple more hits like that and we'll wrap this game up in no time." Luigi smiles back at his brother giving him a thumbs up.

"No problem, we're not the doubles champs for nothing you know," Luigi responds confidently, referring back to the latest tournament that Peach held at the dome. Mario serves again hitting it to Peach who returns it, but this time Luigi smacks it back sending it speeding past Daisy and just too far for Peach even with a dive to get it.

"Wahoo," shouts Mario from behind, "Weegie you're on fire! Maybe we should always keep you in the front." Luigi grins gleefully as he scratches his head modestly.

"It's nothing really..."

"Nothing uh," Daisy comments, "Has a competitive streak and is modest, where have you been all of my life?"

Luigi blushes immediately, not believing his ears, _Did I actually hear that correctly? No, no she's just toying with me…Come on snap out of it, man what is wrong with me?_

"Daisy, be nice," Peach scorns, "we're going to win this game on our skill, not with mind games."

"Who said I was not being nice? I might be playing mind games a little yes, but it's all in good fun, he knows that."

Luigi chuckles, "It's all in good fun, her taunting will not perturb me."

"That's my little bro," Mario encourages.

"Is that right," Daisy jests, "Alright it's on now my friend. Let's see how good you really are."

Peach rolls her eyes and smiles, "Great now you have her fired up Luigi, we're going to be here forever." She chuckles at the ridiculousness then looks up at Mario, "I guess you can serve now, honey." Mario gives her a sappy, goofy smile and this time Luigi has to snap him out of his daze.

"Any day now," Luigi notes sarcastically.

Mario shoots his brother a glare then shouts out, "30 serving love." The ball bounces on the other side of the net and Peach slams it back. The volleying continues for a while until the princesses get on the score board because Luigi missed a hit from Daisy and Mario, although hitting it, sent the ball smacking against the net. The girls squeal in excitement as Mario shrugs it off. "It's all good just one point, they can have one point." He serves again and Peach aces it on the return. She smiles from across the way innocently.

"What was that about only getting a point," Peach teases with a sweet smile and giggle. Mario huffs in frustration again getting stumped by a princess twice in one day.

"We can pick this back up," Mario notes optimistically as he serves again. The ball is volleyed between Mario and Peach for a little bit, leaving Daisy the opportunity for a little mind game playing with Luigi.

"You know, I might have been messing with your mind earlier, but I would like to note that you are a pretty good tennis player."

"Thank you, you're pretty good yourself. It's a challenge keeping up with you," he responds as he watches the ball pass him back over to Peach.

"Well, thank you I do play a lot, but there is one more thing I would like to note…" Daisy leaves off with a mischievous smirk.

"Would this note be intended to mess with my mind some more," Luigi asks suspiciously.

"Maybe, maybe not," Daisy responds playfully.

Luigi laughs, "Well, aren't you just a mischievous princess, but alright I'll bite. What is it?"

Daisy smiles wide and bats her blue eyes, "Just personal opinion, but between you and Mario, you are definitely the cuter one." Luigi's mouth drops open, his face turns twenty shades of red, and he drops his racket just as Peach hits the ball to him. It bounces past him without him even noticing; Mario rushes as fast as possible and dives to catch it, but it hits the ground a second time before he can reach it. Mario stands up and grunts in aggravation as he dusts himself off.

"Luigi, what was that?!? The ball was right there," Mario scolds with his hands on his hips.

"Oh um, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention," Luigi apologizes as he picks his racket off the ground. Daisy brings her hand over her mouth to suppress a chuckle, but it slips out. Peach follows suit and giggles while Mario heads back to the serving line shaking his head.

"Alright, the score is 30-40, game point and Luigi; don't let a pair of batting blue eyes distract you this time!" Luigi hangs his head in embarrassment then looks back up at Daisy.

"You're good at those mind games, but now its war," Luigi warns her.

"Still got that competitive streak huh? You want war, you've got it," she teases. Mario serves the ball and Peach returns it. Luigi gets the hit after and Daisy takes it after that, she hits it back toward Mario, but Luigi runs back and gets it.

"Alright, we are back on the ball!" Mario notes as Luigi makes the return then Daisy hits it and again Luigi takes Mario's chance to return it smacking it hard back toward Peach. "Uh, I can take the shot Luigi, no big deal." Mario watches as Daisy cuts off Peach just as Luigi had done to him. Mario raises a skeptical eyebrow and glances over at Peach who shrugs her shoulders in confusion. Daisy and Luigi continue volleying the ball, not even noticing Mario and Peach sneaking off the court and sitting down on the bench. "What in the world is their problem," Mario asks Peach confused. They look back out to the court and watch the pair and listening to their banter.

"Why don't you just give up already? We've got the upper hand," Daisy notes exasperated as she returns the volley.

"Nope, a Mario brother never gives up that easily! You'll have to earn it," Luigi taunts as he smacks back toward the left. She barely intercepts with a dive that sends the ball straight ahead causing Luigi to have to run after it. Backhanding the ball, he sends it back across the net to her.

"Determination, what a nice change; I have never met a guy who could withstand playing tennis with me for so long," she notes as she lightly taps the ball across the net making it land short on the opposite side.

"I'm not like every guy," Luigi grins as he hits the ball hard making it fly far toward the back of the court.

Daisy gets the return and smirks back, "I'm starting to notice, you're a challenge. I like challenges." They continue with their bantering and volleying while Mario turns to Peach.

"If this is not shameless flirting then I don't know what is," Mario states annoyed. "I mean come on, they just met this morning!" Peach just smirks in response, leaving Mario wondering. "Well what do you think?"

"I think it's cute," Peach responds in a gushy tone. Mario sticks out his tongue in disgust and Peach laughs at his response. They both go back to watching their friends playing tennis. _I'm just glad Daisy is actually interested in someone nice for once, not like all of the other jerks she's dated in the past,_ she muses as she notices something moving near the locker room building.

Daisy smacks the ball back for what seems like the hundredth time this point hoping it would be the last, but it is not as the plumber opposite of her smacks it back. "Alright the gloves come off now!" She puts all of her might into the swing, sending it back toward the serving line.

"Nice try princess," Luigi counters as he hits it back to her, "But you'll have to do better than that!" The ball is volleyed a couple more times before Daisy decides to make another ditch effort to end the game. She places both hands on the racket, pulls back her arms, and swings with all her might sending the ball blazing across the net with no sign of it stopping until a second smack is heard followed by an exclamation of pain.

"Oh ho, yeow," Luigi groans as he holds his hands over his eye.

"Luigi," Mario exclaims as he dashes from the bench to his brother. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, ow," Luigi responds as Peach and Daisy rush over toward the brothers.

"Let me look at it," Peach offers prying Luigi's hands away from his face. "Oh yeah, that's going to sting for a while," she cringes as she observes the purplish black hue of bruising forming around his eye. "We should get some ice on that as soon as possible."

"I have some," an older voice offers from behind them. Toadsworth appears with a cloth bag full of ice. Peach takes it from him and gives it to Luigi who quickly brings it up to his eye. "I figured I should check up on you all with some supplies, especially after last time when you sprained your ankle."

"What we do without you Toadsworth," Peach asks appreciatively.

"I shudder to even ponder such circumstances," Toadsworth replies.

"Thank you for the help Toadsworth," Luigi interjects.

"It was no trouble, Master Luigi. I would like to mention though, that I believe that you are suppose to hit the ball with the racket, not yourself, at least according to the tennis rules back in my day." Toadsworth grins enjoying retribution for the earlier comment by the younger Mario brother. Luigi glares at Toadsworth for the snide comment and hangs his head in defeat, embarrassed that he was being showed up by the elderly mushroom. "Now I think we should all go back inside the castle and rest up for dinner." Everyone agrees and follows Toadsworth out of the gate toward the castle. Mario and Peach stay up with Toadsworth as Daisy follows behind with Luigi slowly bringing up the rear as he carefully treads along keeping the bag of ice firmly in place and navigates with one eye. As they approach the courtyard, Daisy drops back from the main group and waits for Luigi to catch up to her.

"I'm really sorry," Daisy apologizes, "I didn't mean to smack you in the face, I get really competitive and careless when it comes to sports. I mean I know that's no excuse, but I'm just really sorry."

"Its okay," Luigi smiles, "it was an accident; Mario's done this to me once too so, I'll live. Besides, I get a little too competitive myself especially when it comes to soccer."

"Yeah," Daisy agrees, "well just wanted to apologize. I'm not fanatical and wish to harm people or anything like that. Also about the mind games…"

"It was just part of the game, no biggie," he responds nonchalantly.

"Well yeah okay, but I just wanted to say that," her cheeks slightly blush, "I wasn't kidding when I said you were cuter than Mario." She looks at him and gives a nervous smile while he blushes profusely once again.


	5. Legends and Trouble

Wow, two chapters in as many days, that's an accomplishment. Anyways, thanks for the reviews everybody, especially to Spyrothetitan and Luigi Rules 512 for their continual support! It keeps me going! Anyway, getting to the good stuff now, the meat of story, enjoy!

**Diclaimer****: Don't own the characters and I never will! Don't sue!**

**Chapter 5: Legends and Trouble**

Black clouds roll in over the jagged mountainous horizon brining with them bolts of lighting and the roar of thunder. The air is heavy and damp; _It's__ going to rain, how delightful_. Up in a tower spilling over some books, sits Kammy Koopa, well known evil magikoopa sorceress, looking out her open window for a brief break from her work. She smirks as she watches the weather become more treacherous as the sky seems to rip open and torrential rain begins to pour onto the bare earth below. _Ah yes chaotic weather, never certain what it will do; that is what this world should be like, chaotic and tending more and more toward that chaos. Well if I can hurry and find what King Bowser needs for his next exploit, maybe we can speed this chaos along. _She turns back to her books, browsing through to find a certain legend that the Koopa King is interested in. "Let's see, the Legend of the Seven Stars, no; Legend of the Dark Prognosticus, no; Prophecy of the Beanstar, no; Ah ha!" The old koopa witch exclaims, "The Legend of the Reflectivus Portal! Now the question is does it explain where the …"

"Kammy," roars Bowser, Kammy marks the page and tucks the book underneath her arm before fetching her broomstick. She flies down the stairs and through the great hall, passing numerous goomba workers busy repairing the castle, until she catches up to the Koopa King who is heading toward this throne room.

"You Highness, how may I help you?"

"I want a full update on your research on the Reflectivus Portal," demands the reptilian tyrant as he pushes open the doors to his throne room then sits down upon his ebony and crimson inlaid throne.

"Well your mighty nastiness, I have found the legend which pertains to the Reflectivus Portal, but have yet to deceiver its location," Kammy responds as she pulls out the book.

"Does it at least have a description of what it looks like," Bowser asks impatiently.

"I haven't had a chance to read the legend as you beckoned me after I found it," Kammy snaps feeling like she has to repeat herself twenty times before what she says sinks in to the Koopa King's head.

"Fine Kammy, then refresh my memory and read what you have found in that dusty old book." The elderly sorceress gently lands on the ground then pulls out her wand and waves it at a small table across the room. Purple rings of magic erupt from the wand and act as a magnet for the table causing it to scoot over to her. She plops the thick gray book upon the table and flips to the marked page. She clears her throat and then begins to read.

"In a land of four resigned a kingdom ran by one princess alone. Although betrothed to a prince of a neighboring land, she coveted another's hand. A talented woodcarver from her land that she had known since childhood; she and the carver shared many memories together and never wished to part. He carved her many gifts and treasures, but her favorite was a standing mirror embellished with the flowers that bore her name. The prince never showed her such affection. One night as the carver and princess were walking in the royal gardens, he pleaded that she be his wife, presenting her with a wooden ring carved from the same tree as the mirror she cherished so much. She immediately agreed and the following day she broke her betrothal to the prince. Heartbroken by the development, the prince visited the kingdom to find the reason for his dismissal from the princess's heart. He stumbled upon the happy pair sitting in the royal garden and swore vengeance on the woodcarver for his loss. The prince followed the woodcarver back to his shop that day and in anger stabbed him through the heart with one of the carver's own tools. A mystic who befriended the princess witnessed the prince's act and reported to the princess. In her agony, she wished for retribution for her lost love. The mystic agreed to grant the princess her wish and instructed her to invite the prince to the castle at sun's set that following day. As told the princess met the prince in her throne room to find that the mirror from her lost carver had been moved into the room. Upon seeing this treasured gift from her love, the princess confronted the prince about his crime. Unable to justify his actions in any other way, the prince replied that he did it for her and the kingdom's own prosperity. Outraged by such lies, the princess grabbed the prince and pushed him out of rage away from her. He tumbled toward the mirror and instead of falling upon it, fell into it disappearing from sight. As the sun sinks below the horizon the mystic appears and seals the curse upon the mirror entrapping the jealous prince within its confines until the day the ring and mirror that started as one unite again. The princess begrudgingly sends the mirror away to a land that no mortal would ever tread, a place where only guides of the sky could reside. As for the wooden key, it was kept to remind her of her first love so she may never forget him. After marrying a worthy and noble prince from a farther land, the princess now queen passed the ring down to her daughter and instructed her to do the same. The ring thus continues to pass through the generations of royal women through to this very day as a symbol of love's perseverance."

"Kammy," Bowser blinks blankly, "how is that of any use to me?!? It doesn't even explain anything about the world beyond the portal which is the key to our schemes!"

"Patience my evil royalness, that was only the first part of the legend. Other writings exist explaining the portal's world, but this text provides clues to the portal's location and out appearance."

"Bah, sounds like a lot of work," Bowser complains.

"If you just give me sometime my king I will solve this riddle and provide the answers you seek," Kammy promises.

"You'll have plenty of time to do your research my dear Kammy as I have already set another plan in motion," the Koopa King proudly declares. "Kamek! Get in here!"" The male magikoopa runs in from behind up to Bowser's throne and salutes the tyrant.

"Yes your majesty," Kamek asks.

"Your report on the Sapphire staff," Bowser commands.

"We have found the staff sire, but unable to pinpoint one of the five star crystals and the sapphire star itself."

"Your nastiness, pleas tell me that you are not wasting your time on this fabricated useless rod," nags Kammy.

"It's not useless or fabricated and it sounds much better than that fruffy legend about a mirror," Kamek retorts.

"We've tried power giving wands and rods in the past, multiple times and they never work! Besides that mirror is more valuable than you'll ever be, you waste of shell space," Kammy hisses.

"Why you senile, snaggletooth witch, how dare you insult me! I am Kamek the best magikoopa there ever was!"

"More like the worst and poorest excuse for a magikoopa in existence!"

"You old windbag, I'll show you a thing or two!"

"Stop it both of you," bellows Bowser, loud enough to shake the chandelier hanging from the ceiling above them.

"But your nastiness," Kammy protests, but is interrupted by the Koopa King.

"I said shut it you old hag! Now we are going to go along with Kamek's plan for now and if it fails, after I punish him for wasting my time, we'll turn to your plan. This way you will have enough time to do your research, you old bat. Now both of you get out of my sight and get back to work!" The two magikoopas scuttle out into the great hall.

"Ha ha granny, your plan is only good enough for second place. Watch as a real magikoopa works his magic," Kamek boasts arrogantly.

Kammy glares at him and responds, "I'll laugh when you come crashing down on your face you phony, idiotic bum." She snaps her fingers casting a fire spell on Kamek's hat setting the point ablaze. Her evil cackle echoes throughout the hall as she laughs at a panicked Kamek running down the hall on fire.

Luigi wakes up to the sound of rain hitting the bedroom window and sighs. _How is it that the weather reflects my feelings so well?_ A period of six months had past since that first day at the train station. Daisy has come and gone several times, visiting Peach if not twice, at least once a month for various reasons: tennis tournaments, Mario parties, soccer games, about everything under the sun. He enjoys her visits, but each visit seems to get shorter and shorter plus she seems to become more and more distracted and stressed. Usually something back in Sarsaraland is the source of her stress, but what it is he cannot figure out. He has asked on numerous occasions, but she always dismisses it as nothing and tells him to not worry about it. _Can't seem to shake the feeling that she is pulling away from everyone, distancing herself from everyone here._ This time she came over for a golf tournament which only lasted a couple of days and much to Luigi's dismay, today is when she heads back home. He pries himself out of bed and hurries through his morning routine in order to get on his way to the castle. He jogs through the flooded streets of Toad Town up to the castle and barges inside, rushing to get out of the rain. Just inside the door he finds yellow suitcases stacked and ready to go, sighing once more he heads to the kitchen where he finds his brother, the two princesses, and Toadsworth eating breakfast. "Hi guys."

"Hi," they all respond in unison then he begins to sit down when Toadsworth begins to yell.

"Master Luigi!"

Luigi jumps back in shock, "What? What?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to wipe your feet and take off your jacket at the door? You are tracking in mud and dripping water everywhere," the old obsessive compulsive toad exclaims.

"Oh yeah, heh heh oops. Sorry," Luigi responds, nervously rubbing the back of his head. Toadsworth shoos him back to the door so he may correct his error. He throws down his green and black raincoat next to Mario's and begins to rigorously rub his feet on the mat when he notices Daisy come out of the kitchen and stomp up the stairs to the guest room. _She didn't look happy; I wonder what's wrong?_ He makes his way back down to the kitchen where only Mario and Peach remain. Luigi sits down and looks up at Peach who is eating some cereal, "Do you know what's wrong with Daisy, Princess?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think it has to do with her father."

"He's not sick is he," Luigi asks concerned.

"No, no, nothing like that; more of a conflict of views I believe," Peach clarifies.

"Oh," Luigi notes.

"Don't worry about it bro, it's sure to pass. She'll be back to her normal self in no time," Mario reassures.

"Right, uh will you all excuse me for a sec," Luigi asks before leaving the kitchen once more and heads back toward the foyer. As he approaches the stairs he stops, hearing a door on the second floor shut. He waits and sure enough Daisy starts coming down the stairs, holding her head in her hands and rubbing her temples as if she has a headache. She fails to notice him, so he calls out to her. "Um, Princess Daisy may I talk to you for a moment?" He head snaps up and looks back at him with a smile.

"I'm sorry Luigi, I didn't see you there," she apologizes.

"That's alright, you seem to be under a lot of stress," he points out hoping she will mention why.

"Yeah," she scoffs, "just a little."

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that you can talk to me anytime. Day or night," he offers.

"Oh thanks, that's so kind of you " she appreciates, but begins to tear up. "You're a great friend Luigi." He smiles and she hugs him then continues on, "I need to tell you something and you're not going to like it because well I don't even like it," she sniffs.

"Its okay," he steps back and looks her in the eyes, "you can tell me anything."

"Well, its just I can't do this anymore because my father…" she looks down and pauses, finding the words difficult to say. "The problem is…"

"A prince is here!" Toadsworth suddenly exclaims as he runs in from the guard hut. Daisy and Luigi look at him baffled. "A prince coming to the castl again, I thought I'd never see the day!" Daisy looks scornfully down at the ground with tears rolling down her face; she quickly brushes them away with her hand, but does not look up. The front doors burst open and a guy floats in.

"I'm here to pick up Princess Daisy of Sarsaraland," the prince states. Luigi's mouth drops open wide in disbelief. The long blonde hair, bright red cape, and that unmistakable aura of light; both he and Toadsworth exclaim in shock.

"Prince Peasley?!?"


	6. Courters and Stars

Well, here's the next chapter, churning them out like no one's business! Anyways, enjoy and please R&R! Always love to get feedback!

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, I wish I did, but alas no. They belong to Nintendo and I am in no way associated with the company. **

**Chapter 6: Courters and Stars**

"Greetings everyone; Sir Toadsworth it's a delight to see you again," Peasley replies.

"Prince of the Beanbean Kingdom it is always a pleasure to see you. Give my regards to the Queen."

"Will do," the prince agrees then turns to Luigi. "Luigi, my dear companion, how are you on this fine day?"

"Pretty good," Luigi responds.

"Excellent to hear! I am still anticipating a visit from you to my fair kingdom," Peasley anxiously reminds.

"Oh yeah, I'll get to that soon, I hope," Luigi responds uncomfortably. It is a strange relationship the prince and the younger Mario brother share. During their adventure in the Beanbean Kingdom chasing after Crackella, the plumbers met Peasley. At first, Luigi was entranced by the prince as he fit the stereotypical knight in shining armor role and he wanted to be just like him. They became close pals and starting writing to each other for a little while until one day Luigi received a flower in the mail from the prince. A yellow rose if he recalls correctly, it was for his birthday and he was not sure what to make of it. From then on Luigi has been careful with his actions around the prince as he is not sure of the prince's intentions, but did not wish to find out so adopted a stance of "ignorance is bliss." This is the first time he has seen the prince since the Crackella adventure, "So what are you doing here in the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Just here to retrieve the princess and take her back to Sarsaraland, as instructed by the king."

"Did you inform the king that his daughter does not wish to be escorted back to Sarsaraland or take part in his tactless and vulgar plans," Daisy snaps. At this point Mario and Peach emerge from the kitchen.

"Princess Daisy! That is no way to speak about your father or speak to a prince, very unacceptable indeed," Toadsworth scolds.

"That's right, I almost forgot princesses aren't suppose to be blunt and candid," the brunette princess quips. Toadsworth clinches his fists and his cheeks begin to turn red out of anger in response to the visiting princess's remarks. The elderly toad is about to burst out into an angry tirade when Peach grabs Daisy's arm.

"Would you excuse us Toadsworth? I would like to have a word with Daisy in the kitchen." Peach then drags Daisy into the kitchen and closes the door after asking all of the kitchen staff to leave for a moment.

Mario turns toward Peasley, "Sorry about that Prince Peasley, she's been a little temperamental lately."

"It is quite all right my friend," Peasley replies nonchalantly with which Toadsworth heaves a sigh of relief. "I do not blame her for being stressed as she is; I would feel the same way if I had to make such a large decision. Choosing a courter is not an easy task especially for what is on the line."

"Choosing a what," Luigi asks apprehensively.

"What is wrong with you? I mean I understand you are angry with your father, but you don't have to take it out on Prince Peasley," Peach reprimands.

"Yes I do, he is part of this whole stupid scenario my father put together and as I told him, I will not partake in it easily or willingly," Daisy stubbornly disagrees.

"Daisy you knew this was coming, you are a princess; of course your father is going to try to set you up with a prince. Toadsworth did it to me as well and he tried who knows how many times before giving up on me. You just have to outlast his stubbornness."

"But at least Toadsworth only had one prince vying for you at a time, unlike my father. There are five he has chosen to live with us for his little experiment, five Peach, and he expects me to choose one of them; one of these spoiled, arrogant princes that he likes and I despise."

"I'm sure you don't despise them Daisy," Peach rolls her eyes at her exaggeration, "and even if you do, all you have to do is outlast them. They will give up sooner or later just like all the other princes your dad has tried to set you up with before."

"You think I can drive them all away, even if there are five of them," Daisy asks hopefully.

"If anyone can, you can," Peach giggles.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or insult," Daisy cracks her first smile all day. "Thanks Peach," she gratefully hugs her friend.

"No problem and remember if you need someone to talk to I'm here," Peach offers. Daisy nods and Peach continues, "Now how about you go home and show those spoiled princes who's boss?" The princesses smirk and head back out to the foyer.

"Courters," Luigi asks baffled.

"Yes, an aristocrat in pursuit of a princess, a suitor in laymen terms," Peasley explains.

"Suitor! She doesn't need one of those, does she?"

"Eventually she will, if she wishes to rule as queen; however she could just be a crowned princess if she chose so." A hopeful smile appears across the green clad plumber's face, "I doubt her father would allow for that though."

"Well, I mean, these 'courters', do they have to be royalty?"

"Usually they retain a title of nobility or are from a prestigious family within the kingdom in question. Why are you so inquisitive about this?"

Luigi blushes, "Uh no reason."

"You know my brother prince, he's just curious about everything," Mario steps in for the save.

"Ah yes, a seeker of knowledge he is," Peasley agrees as the kitchen door bursts open. Peach and Daisy return from their conversation; Peach stands next to Toadsworth as Daisy picks up her bags at the door.

"So we going to get this show on the road or what," Daisy asks Peasley still slightly irked.

"Yes, lets start our expedition back," Peasley responds. "It was wonderful to see you all once more," he bows and heads over to Daisy. Taking her suitcases, he floats out the door, leaving Daisy to say her goodbyes.

"Well it's been fun guys we're going to have to have another tournament or something real soon," the princess of Sarsaraland smiles as she walks over to Peach. "Ill talk to you real soon," she notes as she hugs Peach once more then turns to Toadsworth and curtsies. "I'll try to be on my best behavior, as you would have it no other way." The brown capped toad grins believing he might actually be getting through to the stubborn princess yet. "You take good care of yourself and my girl Peach," she notes as she briefly hugs Mario.

"Of course, she's in good hands. Take care," Mario replies.

Daisy nods then turns to Luigi and smiles, "As for you, take care of your brother because we all know he won't do it himself."

"Hey!" They all giggle at Mario's defensiveness then Daisy gives Luigi a tight hug.

"Take care of yourself and write me alright," she whispers in his ear.

"I will," Luigi promises as she pulls away and heads for the door; she opens and pauses, waving one last time then disappearing into the outside world with the click of the door.

The day passes quickly into night, as the Mario brothers head home after a day of hanging out at the castle and in Toad Town, where they had ventured back to the port to listen to the musical talents of Chanterelle and her gang down at the jazz club. They clamber into their little house and prepare for bed. "Hey Luigi, you okay? You've been awfully quiet," Mario asks with a mouthful of toothpaste and his red toothbrush hanging out the side of his mouth.

"I'm fine, just ready for some shut eye. I'm really tired." The brothers finish their nighttime routine and climb into bed. Mario climbs up the ladder and settles in the top bunk as Luigi slips into the bottom bunk.

"Night bro," Mario yawns.

"Night," Luigi responds before pulling up the covers, turning onto his side, and shutting his eyes in attempt to sleep.

Once again in her tower, Kammy spills over her various books highlighting important passages and looking for more information about the world behind the Reflectivus Portal, but was having no luck doing so. _Where in the world did he even get that blasted information, I haven't been able to find a single clue about this world he is so interested in!_ Heaving a heavy, irritated sigh, the magikoopa slams her book about different worlds shut and shoves it aside. _Maybe I'll just focus on finding the portal for now._ She lifts the gray book of legends back up onto her desk and opens up to the marked page. _Now lets see here, we've got: 'In a land of four', 'a standing mirror embellished with the flowers that bore her name', 'a wooden ring carved from the same tree as the mirror', 'a land that no mortal would ever tread, a place where only guides of the sky could reside', and a ring that is passed through the women of the royal family. Well, what to tackle first?_ She stares out of her window trying to think of anything that would fit into any of these descriptions. The sky is pitch black with dark gray clouds creeping through the cold night; she watches the clouds slowly pass over the half moon then spots a star shining through. _That must be the North Star, persistent little thing, piercing through the clouds like that._ Kammy's eyes widen as she smacks herself on the forehead, _Of course!_ She quickly shuffles back to her bookshelf and pulls out a green book, a book on the stars. _ Where no mortal can roam and sky guides reside! _She opens up to a description of Star Haven where the seven star spirits reside along with the Star rod. Kammy remembers the Star rod a little too well; it held so much potential but in the end still could not withstand the luck of Mario. _Curse that fat plumber, always getting in the way! No matter, if I can get this plan to work then even he will not be able to stop us for claiming the Mushroom Kingdom for Bowser!_ She carefully looks over a sketch of Star Haven in her book trying to locate the possible areas where such a mirror would be kept. The magikoopa grins as she looks closely at the room where the Star rod is kept and notices a room that branches off behind it. _I bet it's in there. Now the question is how to get back there, the first time we invaded Star Haven we did it by force, but I don't think that tactic will work…I got it._ She picks out another book from the shelf and heads downstairs toward her lab.

The sun peaks in through the window, signaling the start of a new day; Luigi drags himself out of bed and down the stairs to the kitchen table where a note sits. _Another one, what now?_ He opens the note and his eyes widen at the large print.

LUIGI-

COME TO THE CASTLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! BOWSER IS UP TO NO GOOD AGAIN!

-Mario

"Oui, not again," Luigi grumbles as he dashes up stairs to change then out the door toward the castle. He sprints all the way to the castle and across the bridge then bursts through the castle door into the foyer. "Where did he take her this time," Luigi yells then stops short as he notices the princess standing with Mario by the stairs. "Huh?" Luigi scratches his head confused, "Mario you said that Bowser was up to no good, that usually involves the princess being kidnapped you know. What's going on here?"

"Well Luigi it is our lucky day," Mario proclaims then Yoshi appears from the kitchen. "Yoshi has been tracking our 'friend' Kamek Koopa and found out that he is after the Sapphire staff!"

Luigi stares at Mario blankly, "the what?"

"The Sapphire staff," Mario replies.

"And that does what exactly," the younger Mario brother asks baffled.

"Well the Sapphire staff grants the power of invisibility and invincibility," Peach replies.

"Dang, that's not good at all, especially if it does fall into Bowser's hands! Who makes these things? Seriously, they cause trouble for everybody with these inventions of theirs," Luigi notes annoyed.

"It doesn't grant both powers at the same time," Peach explains.

"During the day, the wielder is invincible as supplied by the five star crystals inlaid in the bottom of the staff and during the night the Sapphire Star grants the power of invisibility by cloaking the wielder in darkness itself," Toadsworth explains. "At least this is according to my research."

"Yoshi, do we know how much of the staff Kamek has recovered," Mario asks turning the conversation back to stopping the magikoopa's plan.

"Missing one star crystal and the Sapphire Star," Yoshi reports, "they were headed toward Rougeport."

"Okay whoa, whoa," Luigi interrupts, "I'm still confused! I thought you had taken care of all the crystal stars including the Sapphire Star when you opened the Thousand Year Door and defeated the Shadow Queen."

"Well you are partially correct Master Luigi," Toadsworth chirps in. "We are in fact talking about the same Sapphire Star to which Master Mario liberated from Keehaul Key, but the star crystals and the Crystal Stars are two different things." Luigi holds his head in confusion and Toadsworth continues to explain. "As you know the Crystal Stars were used to cast away the Shadow Queen behind the Thousand Year Door and the Sapphire Star is part of this group. The star crystals are smaller gems that were part of the fabled South Star opposite of the North Star that we all know of today. Supposedly the South Star was shattered by a meteor into five pieces which fell down upon the kingdom."

"Okay, that makes more sense…I think," Luigi scratches his chin in thought. _There are way too many legends about stars! It's hard to keep them all straight!_

"Now that we are all caught up," Peach notes, "how are going to stop Kamek?"

"There is only one way," Mario states thoughtfully. "We have to beat him to the last star crystal and the Sapphire Star!"

"Oh no, I feel an adventure coming on," Luigi sighs. "So I guess I'm staying here?"

"Nope! Yoshi, can you stay here and protect Princess Peach for me while Luigi and I head off to Rogueport," Mario asks Yoshi who in return nods enthusiastically. "Good, take good care of her and Toadsworth." Mario turns to Peach, "We'll be back in a jiff, don't worry about us."

She clasps her hands anxiously, "Please do be careful and good luck." Mario nods affirmatively and turns to his brother.

"Alright, let's hit the road," Mario exclaims excitedly as he grabs Luigi's arm and drags him out the door.


	7. Dreams Under Cherry Blossom Trees

Hey again everybody, thanks so much for the reviews!!! I love reviews, makes me happy; anyway special thanks to my bro. Spyrothetitan for reviewing for every chapter. (You're the best kid!) And special thanks to my new reviewer Rattle and Hum, took your editing advice, hope this lives up to your advice! Anyway enjoy everyone!

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, except for King Thorne, Chizer and Hyacinth (wow OCs amazing!). Nintendo owns all the others and I am no way associated with the company.**

**Chapter 7: Dreams under Cherry Blossom Trees**

Daisy stares out from her balcony at the town, Floral Villa, lying nearby the castle. She sighs as she watches the villagers varying from chibobos, mekabons, nokobons, and gaos happily plodding along their daily lives. _I wish I was down there instead of in here._ She walks back into her room and flops down on her full size bed almost engulfed with small yellow pillows that accent the dark orange comforter. _Maybe if I pile all the pillows up I can hide underneath them and not be noticed_, she thinks hopefully. She sighs knowing that it would never work and gets back up deciding to face the music. Sitting down at her vanity, she brushes her hair then fixes her crown so it sits properly on her head and finishes off by applying a new layer of her favorite tangerine flavored lip gloss. _Time to make some prissy princes cry_, she encourages herself as she smirks evilly. She leaves her room and heads downstairs toward the throne room.

The room is massive, giving a visitor the feeling of being small and insignificant. The royal colors are displayed with banners that dangle from the rails of the second floor observation walkway that covers the parameter of the room. A long red carpet leads up to a lone ornate throne made of deep honey oak and carved with various motifs of trees loosing their leaves in the breeze; sitting upon the throne is Thorne Floral, the king of Sarsaraland. He sits slouched over leaning on the arm of his chair with his cheek resting upon his hand. As Daisy approaches he readjusts and sits up straight with a stern look on his face and puffs out his chest in attempt to be intimidating. "Good Morning Dad," Daisy greets without flinching.

"Morning Daisy," he replies, "I hope you got plenty of rest, it is going to a big day."

"I know; I have so much I plan on doing! I'm going to go into town and get some supplies then I'm going to work in the garden," Daisy begins ignoring what her father had planned with the intent to annoy him.

"Daisy," the king interrupts with a fierce look in his deep blue eyes, similar to the princess's own. "You know what I am getting at."

"Maybe," Daisy stubbornly mocks. Thorne sighs heavily, irritated at his daughter's tenacity.

"The princes are coming today and I expect you to courteous to all of them."

"And if I am not? I warned you in the beginning that I did not want to along with this Dad, so why should I bother to be on my best behavior and encourage these men to bother trying to win me over."

"Because you are a princess and thus you will be married to a prince or at least a man with a noble title," King Floral decrees.

"Why? Peach doesn't have to marry a stupid prince why must I," Daisy angrily inquires.

"You are not Princess Toadstool and this is not the Mushroom Kingdom; we have traditions here and one of them is princesses marry noblemen!"

"Grandma didn't marry a prince and she was still queen!"

"Your grandmother is a different story," Thorne tries to elude the conversation.

"Really how? I would love to know!"

"There were no princes available at the time! She had no other choice."

"Yeah and grandpa made a great king although he was only a merchant didn't he? So why can't I just find a suitable man no matter if a title comes attached or not?"

"Because you need a stable man with experience in leading a nation and well because I said so," King Floral declares.

"Oh please, I don't need a prince to tell me how to run a kingdom," Daisy scoffs.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn," Thorne crossly asks. "Your mother was never this headstrong."

"No she wasn't; I got it from you," Daisy quips.

"Young lady, you can be as bullheaded and rude as you wish, but it will not overturn my decision. Those men are coming here and you will eventually choose one to be your beau and hopefully someday husband. That is final."

"Well your majesty, that might be your intention, but there is no guarantee that it will be the case. Now if will excuse me I am going out to my garden. Call me whenever your guests arrive," Daisy stubbornly affirms then stomps out of the throne room.

He watches her leave then rubs his temples in frustration, _What am I going to do with that girl?_ He brushes a hair away from his eyes and back into the rest of his salt and pepper hair when his vizier, a chibobo, comes in.

"Sir, the guests will be here within two hours as they just got on the train in Poshley Heights," the goomba like vizier informs.

"Thank you Chizer," the king thanks as he rises from his chair. "I think I'll take a walk around the Villa before they arrive," with that he leaves the castle and heads toward the small town mere feet beyond his castle gates.

Daisy stomps off out the back door of the castle and into the courtyard which is a garden in itself. Down the steps, lies a large pond in which lily pads flourish at the edges displaying their beautiful spiky flowers. At the opposite end of the pond a large willow tree stands, its overhanging branches skim the top of the water causing constant ripples in the usually calm pond. On either side of the pond, lie two large areas both full of flowers and bushes that set along the perimeter. Off in the left section of the garden veering away from the village is a small path that leads to the side of the castle and Daisy's personal garden. She brushes past the numerous white forsythia bushes and onto the trail leading to what she considered her sanctuary. She emerges into her garden a minute later and heaves a sigh of relief, feeling like she had finally found a place where she could not be disturbed. It is a smaller garden compared to the courtyard, but spacious enough for her personally use. In front of the enclosing yellow forsythia bushes are various yellow, red, and white flowers from tulips, roses and lilies, sprinkled around in a random fashion. The only flower that is concentrated in one spot is of course the daisies which are all situated underneath the only tree within her garden, a cherry blossom tree. It had begun to bloom a week ago, showering the ground with many of its white and pale pink petals. Daisy takes a deep breath and sits down underneath the tree enjoying the fragrance of the blossoms and the quiet seclusion away from the busyness of the castle in preparation for their 'guests'. _Guests indeed_, she sarcastically thinks wishing the whole mess would just disappear. She leans back against the tree and closes her eyes, allowing her mind to wonder.

She opens her eyes finding herself in a new place, Peach's garden. _How did I get here_, raising to her feet she also realizes that she is no longer in her yellow and orange dress, but a white wedding gown with a veil lying back on her hair and elbow length gloves on her arms. _Ah come on you have got to be kidding me! How long was I out, blast it all!_ She makes her way up to the main part of the courtyard where the fountain is running; tables and chairs line the outer edge of the cement patio and numerous decorations including lights hang from wires all connecting to a spot above the courtyard door on the castle. It is a very nice elaborate set up which the Sarsaraland princess found really beautiful, but could not to notice that no one is around. _Where did they all go?_ She enters the castle and slowly makes her way down the hallway toward the foyer where she heard people talking. Pushing open the door, she finds everyone standing in the foyer having their little separate conversations when Peach appears out of no where standing next to her in a slim lavender dress.

"Hey there's the future queen of Sarsaraland! Where have you been? Your dad has been waiting to talk to you; come on follow me," Peach grabs Daisy's hand and leads her over to her father who is standing next to Mario and Luigi, all three of them dressed up in tuxedos. As Peach drags her closer, Daisy notices her father smiling and shaking Luigi's hand.

_Maybe this isn't so bad…_Daisy smiles as she stops in front of her father. He looks at her and holds out his arms for a hug.

"My beautiful daughter, it's about time! I am so proud of you," he praises as he embraces her tightly then he releases her and takes a step back. "You look exactly like your mother did on our wedding day, absolutely perfect."

"Thanks Dad," Daisy blushes as she plays with her dress. She looks up at Luigi who blushes at her gaze causing her to break into a smile; she takes a step toward him when a pair of long, lanky arms wraps themselves around her midsection. _Huh?_

"There's the man of the hour, the future king of Sarsaraland! Aww, don't they make such a cute couple," King Floral compliments. Daisy looks at him confused then turns back to Luigi who stares dejectedly at the floor.

_What? What? What?_ Finally she turns her head back to identify the owner of the arms that are clasped around her. Her eyes widen the messy brown hair, crooked nose, bent mustache, and the signature purple hat. "Waluigi!"

"Hey sweetie, can't wait for us to move in together, but first even better will be our honeymoon on the Daisy Cruiser. Won't that be fun honey," he notes happily. Daisy's mouth drops open and her eye begins to twitch, unable to cope with the circumstances. She brings her hands clinched up to her cheeks and tightly shuts her eyes as she screams in horror.

She quickly sits upright and rocks over too far, ending up landing face first in the grass. "What? What?" She looks around, finding herself back in her garden underneath the cherry blossom tree. Laughing out of relief, she stands up and shakes off the chills. "I hate this stupid arrangement," she flatly states to no one. "Now I'm getting nightmares or daymares? Is that even possible? Stupid marriage expectations," she mumbles to herself then she hears her name being called.

"Daisy sweetie where are you," an elderly woman's voice calls out.

"I'm back here Grandma Hyacinth," Daisy calls back as she smiles. An elderly woman in a sky blue dress suit and matching hat comes in the garden off the trail. "Hi Grandma, how are you today," Daisy asks as she hugs the older woman.

"Oh I am wonderful, I'm more worried about you though my dear! Your father told me about your 'discussion' earlier," Hyacinth notes, emphasizing the word 'discussion'. "You do understand he is trying to do what is best for you, right?"

"Yes grandma," Daisy smiles knowing that she would stand up for her father, her son, until the end of time.

"Well good because I think you should go a little easier on him especially since, well…"

"The princes are here I take it," Daisy assumes while rolling her eyes.

"Please be nice," Hyacinth pleads, "give them a chance." Daisy grudgingly agrees causing the older Floral to smile then they make their way back to the front of the castle.

"Mario we have been walking around here for two hours and still haven't seen a sign of Kamek; don't you think we should look elsewhere," Luigi suggests as they pass by the port for the twentieth time.

"Yoshi said he was here and this is where we will find him," Mario determinedly states as he continues to walk until a door opens and smacks into him. "Oww," Mario groans then looks up to see what opened the door, "Mama Mia! Merlon!"

The blue caped wizard smiles, "Mario, I was wondering when you would be back; I foresaw your return to Rogueport in a dream I had last week."

"Really? Wow, Merlon you are good, but anyway," Mario motions to his brother who is standing farther back, slightly afraid of the wizard. "This is my brother Luigi, he is here to help me find the…"

"Sapphire Star," Merlon finishes. "Yes I saw all of this; please come inside and I will give you the answers you seek." Merlon motions toward the open door and the plumbers step inside. The house is dark, the only source of light coming from a crystal ball on a round table in the middle of the room. The wizard closes the door behind him then walks behind the table and sits down in a wood chair. "Now tell me what you seek and I shall tell you where to go."

"We are looking for the fifth star crystal and the Sapphire Star," Mario quickly replies, knowing how Merlon works. The white mustached wizard bows his head in concentration and mumbles to himself as the crystal ball flashes light of differing colors.

"Mario, are you sure he knows what he is doing," Luigi cautiously asks.

"Yes Luigi, Merlon has helped me numerous times in the past and has never steered me wrong. Trust me, this will cut out a lot of work," Mario reassures his younger brother. Merlon suddenly snaps his head up and apprehensively glances at the brothers. "What is it Merlon?"

"I fear there is not much time, you must act quickly," the wizard warns. "The magikoopa minion of the Koopa King is progressing rapidly in his quest. He already knows the location of both gems you seek. The Sapphire Star lies above Twilight Town finding a home floating within the dark shadows. As for the star crystal, it is residing within a bright metropolis with many colored lights and tall buildings. A place I have never seen before, the star crystal is above the rest of the city in an arena like building with a man similar looking to you Mario. That is all I can see," Merlon notes.

Mario looks down at the ground, scratching his chin in thought, "I think I know where the star crystal is, but the Sapphire Star confuses me. I mean it's in Twilight Town, but where in the town?"

"Well, let's see," Luigi starts also scratching his chin in thought, "he said 'finding a home floating in the shadows'… does he normally note that stars float?"

"Not usually," Mario responds then looks over at Merlon. "Was that intentional?"

"That is what I see, that is what I have described," Merlon responds mysteriously.

"Yeah," Mario notes confused and a little irked.

"May I emphasize the need for swiftness," Merlon notes again, "As the koopa draws close to his first target and his minions the second."

"Great, there is no way we can be in two places at once," Mario exclaims.

"Not to mention we don't even know where the second location is," Luigi adds.

"A splitting I propose," Merlon inserts.

"Splitting up," Mario conjures with concern, "but, I don't want to send Luigi off alone."

"There is no other choice if you wish to guarantee the safety of the kingdom," Merlon warns.

"I'll be fine," Luigi shakily assures. "You know this place better than I do anyway, so there is a better chance of you getting to the star before me."

"I know but, like you said we don't know where this place is that an arena rests above the city with a guy that looks like me…." Mario pauses then exclaims, "Eureka!" Luigi looks at his brother in shock as Mario grabs his younger brother's suspender straps. "I got it! It's Wario! The man who looks like me is Wario! He lives with the WarioWare crew part of the time when he's not in the kingdom!"

"Okay, but where is this 'WarioWare'," Luigi asks doubtfully.

"Diamond City! I don't know where that is, but you could probably ask for directions," Mario exclaims excitedly once more, but then comes back down as he looks at his brother. "Do you think you can make it there in time? I hate to send you out there alone, without a clear idea where to go," he notes in his big brotherly tone.

"I'll be okay," Luigi reassures. "You heard what Merlon said! Now go get that star!" Mario nods affirmatively and turns to run out the door when he stops and turns back to his brother.

"Be careful for my sake," Mario notes as he hugs his brother then flies out the door.


	8. Burning Brooms and Unwanted Dukes

**Well it's been awhile, work and all, but anyway here's the next chapter! Yippee, I hope to get back on a streak soon guys, real soon. Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming! I likey reviews **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters; they belong to Nintendo as we all know by now.**

**Chapter 8: Burning Brooms and Unwanted Dukes**

He races through the woods running on nothing except for determination. The creepy trees pass by rapidly as he makes his way up the spiraling path to the secluded, dark settlement of Twilight Town. He skids to a halt before reaching the town square, spotting two red shelled koopas talking in the square. Quickly he dodges behind a building and sneaks up closer to eavesdrop on the conversation. "Why are we stuck here on guard while everyone gets to search for the star," one of koopas asks vexed.

"Because we are not parakoopas or parabeetles or paragoombas! We're para-nothing, so how much help are we going to be when this thing is supposedly hovering in some floating house somewhere around here," the second koopa proposes.

"I guess not too much Barry," the first one admits.

"That's right Stew, not much. Besides think of it this way we are the first line of defense against," Barry stops, noticing something moving around the building, something red. The koopa moves closer, hoping it is not who he thinks it is then the red clad man jumps out in front of him. "Mario!"

"Night night," the plumber taunts as he jumps on the koopa reducing him to just a shell.

Stew comes around the corner, "Barry? Barry, where'd ya go?" Mario smirks as he kicks the shell sending it barreling toward the confused koopa. Stew turns seconds before the inevitable collision, "Uh oh." The shell crashes into him sending both koopas flying off to who knows where.

Mario claps his hands together triumphantly, _That was way too easy. Now floating house why does that sound so familiar?_ Mario ponders, trying to recall any floating houses he had been in. _There was the cloud house in that painting in Peach's castle, so hard to get to with all those freaking carpets to ride along the way._ Mario shakes off the thought, _Focus! Where else did I see a flying house? Wait I got it!_ Mario turns around and sprints off back toward the path. _Twilight House, how could I forget!_ He recalls zooming around the eight rooms in his go-kart trying to pop all of his competitors balloons, little did he notice until now that Twilight Trail could be seen in the background. He finally reaches the woods and stops listening for any sign of Kamek or his troops. After hearing nothing, Mario slowly wonders through the woods shifting his focus between the sky and ground whilst listening for any enemies. He wonders around for five minutes when he hears Kamek's voice off to the east.

"What do you mean you haven't found it yet," the magikoopa asks enraged. Mario cuts through the brush and finds Kamek grilling a paragoomba. "We've been in this place for three hours, how is it that you have not been able to locate a flying house yet?"

"It is awfully dark sir and all the troops we have were pulled from the boundaries of Koopa Land; they see a lot of action sir and are very tired," the paragoomba tries to explain.

"Does it look like I care," Kamek spouts furiously, "Switch the shifts and keep looking!" The paragoomba flies off as Kamek mutters to himself, "Good help is so hard to find these days!" The koopa wizard leans against a tree, swinging his wand back and forth out of boredom. Mario sneaks up closer carefully, avoiding making any noises. As he draws closer, he notices Kamek's broomstick leaning against another tree, in perfect fireball range. Mario smirks to himself as a plan formulates in his mind. The plumber picks up a stick and snaps it in two sending a crack echoing in the air. Kamek immediately stands to attention squinting toward the area where Mario is hiding. The magikoopa slowly creeps up to the trail's edge and peers into the cluster of trees. Kamek's eyes widen as a bright red fireball comes toward him; he easily dodges and grins. "Taste my power, you filthy plumber!" Kamek waves his wand sending a ring of electricity into the woods. Mario quickly tumbles out on to the trail avoiding the ring, but becoming visible to the wizard. "Ha how pathetic, you're aim is much worse than the last time we met. You missed completely," Kamek gloats as he sends a wave of electric rings Mario's way.

"Did I," Mario asks smugly as he dodges the onslaught of rings.

Kamek raises an eyebrow, _Of course he did, is he blind? He completely missed me!_ The magikoopa looks back and notices flames engulfing some wood, a stick of some sort. As he looks closer his jaw drops in horror, "My broomstick!" As Kamek stands gaping and dumbfounded by the preceding events, Mario takes the opportunity to tackle the magikoopa and snatch the wand from his claws. "My wand," Kamek exclaims as he tries to chase after the fleeing Mario. Mario waves the wand above his head causing little white wings to sprout from his hat then he jumps into the air taking flight. Kamek collapses hopelessly to the ground as he watches Mario fly off with his wand and angrily shouts, "Blasted plumber!"

She rolls her blue eyes vexed as her father begins the introductions of the princes he selected for his little experiment as she likes to think of it. Chizer calls the first one up, "Prince Cashmire of the Tarpon Kingdom." The prince steps forward and bows to King Floral then takes Daisy's hand and kisses it finishing with a suggestive wink. Daisy barely glances at him before scoffing in disbelief; he is of average height with jet black spiky hair and is muscular like a professional weightlifter, wearing a gray tunic with a navy cape.

_Who does he think he is, Mr. Universe? I'll take his pompous attitude down a couple of notches_, she vows unimpressed by her father's first choice. Chizer then introduces Prince Peasley, who she met earlier; he bows to both of them then goes back to his spot in line, not wanting to make a big production of himself at all. _He's nice, a little mysterious, but nice._

"Prince Toffee from the Saffron Kingdom," Chizer announces the red haired prince. He is average in both height and build wearing a red tunic and white pants. After shaking the hand of the king, he takes Daisy's and raises it above his head as he bows then returns to his spot along the line as Chizer announces the next candidate. "Prince Pine of Jewelry Land," Daisy studies him carefully as he is a friend of Princess Peach; average height and build with shaggy auburn hair wearing somewhat traditional prince garb: a green triangular hat with a white feather protruding from the rim, poofy blue shirt and pants, along with the white stockings. Daisy giggles in her head as he bows to both her and the king.

_Okay Peach, interesting choice, but I'm not looking for a Robin Hood look alike._ Daisy stares off into space as Chizer begins to introduce the last candidate.

"Duke Waluigi of Warioland," Chizer calmly calls. Daisy's head snaps toward the tall, lanky Wario brother. He smirks as he takes his hat off and bows toward Daisy and King Floral.

"It is an honor to be here," he notes trying to laugh at Daisy's shock.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa stop the music," Daisy interrupts. "Dad he's not royalty! There is no such place as Warioland and he's," she accusingly points at Waluigi, "not a duke!"

"He provided the proper documentation Daisy; now please sit down and stop making a scene," Thorne orders. The princess blinks in disbelief then begrudgingly sits back down. Waluigi takes his place back along the line of suitors as Thorne stands up to address them. "Noblemen, I welcome you to Sarsaraland, your journey was a long one so I will keep my speech brief. Although I am thankful that you all accepted my invitation, I warn you now that the task ahead will not be an easy one. Not only will my lovely daughter be judging your character, but I will be as well, along with my personal staff, and the former queen herself, Madame Hyacinth. Finally as to commence the occasion of your arrival and as a test of your manner in public there will be a ball held at the end of the month in this very room. I expect everyone brought their evening attire and will be more than ready to participate. Now if you all will follow Chizer he will show you to your quarters." On command, the goomba like servant pops up behind the courters and escorts them upstairs. Daisy rolls her eyes once again and gets up from her chair to head back toward her garden.

_Great what a nightmare not only princes but a ball too, yippee,_ she thinks sarcastically as a scowl appears upon her face.

Vast green meadows pass by in a flash along with small villages and large towns as Luigi stares out the train window. _I wonder how Mario's doing, probably better than me right now,_ Luigi grimaces as he recalls the trouble he had finding a train to take him to Diamond City. The trip would take him three hours and this is on the fast bullet train, not the normal train which would have taken twice as long. _I just hope I can beat Kamek and his cronies to the star crystal piece and pry it away from Wario. That could be a challenge, he really likes his treasure,_ he wrinkles his nose up at the thought of wrestling with Wario to get the star crystal. His eyes wander from the window to the rest of the train cabin. A few goombas, bob-ombs, and koopas are scattered throughout the seats as well as some mousers, one in particular catches Luigi's eye. A couple of seats up and on the opposite side of the aisle sits a little white mouser with a pink mask and matching heels. Luigi scratches his head, _I've never see a mouser with white fur before_. His gaze drifts to the seat behind the mouser where a Toad couple sits together holding each other's hand. The male Toad clad in red shoes, vest, and hat with white polka dots while the female has light brown braids peeking out from underneath a white hat with pink polka dots that matcher her dress. Luigi sighs; _I hope Princess Peach is doing alright. I know how she worries when Mario's gone._ The female Toad glances back and locks eyes with Luigi for a brief second then she excitedly turns to the Toad in red.

"Is that who I think it is," she whispers ecstatically as she motions her head in Luigi's direction. The red Toad glances back then turns back to her.

"Yeah, this is so cool! Maybe we should say hi," the boy Toad is barely able to suggest before the girl is dragging him back toward the green clad plumber.

_Oh boy,_ Luigi shakes his head waiting for the inevitable question.

"Hi! I know you probably get asked this a lot," the pink Toad blushes, "but are you the infamous brother of Mario?"

_Yep, right on cue,_ he sighs in his head, but smiles at the girl's shyness. "Yes I am."

"Oh wow that's so cool," the red toad exclaims ecstatically. "So are you heading out to meet him to go on some important quest to save the world?"

"Not exactly," Luigi chuckles at the boy's enthusiasm, "more like trying to prevent the world from being taken over."

"Really," the red toad asks, "how are you doing that?"

"Well, I'm retrieving a valuable treasure with terrifying power," Luigi exaggerates for the sake of entertainment, "while my brother is retrieving another valuable relic in order to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."

"Oooo," both Toads exclaim at the same time causing Luigi to smile, enjoying the attention.

"So," the red clad Toad continues, "where are you headed?"

"Diamond City, ever been there?"

"No."

"That makes two of us," Luigi sighs. "I have a bad feeling I'm going to get lost."

"Ah don't worry, you'll figure it out," the pink Toad reassures. "You are a Mario brother after all!" Luigi smiles appreciative of the compliment, "Well, bye it was nice meeting you!" The couple wanders back to their seat as Luigi begins to stare out the window once more.

"Excuse me," a feminine voice interrupts; he turns from the window to find the white mouser he spotted earlier standing in front of him. "I couldn't help but overhear my dear," she hops up into the empty seat next to him, "that you are headed to Diamond City."

"Uh well yeah," Luigi stammers. "Why do you live there?"

"Well no sweetie," she responds while playing with her heart shaped tail, "but I do have a map of the city on me. I'm in the information business you know." The train begins to slow down approaching the next stop.

"Really? Could I possibly borrow your map," he asks excitedly, relieved at the possibility of avoiding getting lost.

"Ah yes, but at a price," the pink clad mouser requires.

"Oh," Luigi responds dumbfounded, "well what do you want?"

"Got any badges or gems?"

He pats his pockets, _Dang left all those badges I found in Beanbean Kingdom at home!_ He looks up at the mouser with a disappointed frown, "I'm sorry I don't have either of those things on me."

"That's all right, I'll give you the map anyway," she hands him a pamphlet.

"Wow, thanks," he exclaims, "I wish there was something I could do in return for your kindness."

"Oh I'll figure something out cutie don't you worry," the little mouser winks.

"Okay," he responds nervously while wondering about her choice of words and intentions. "So uh, have you been to Diamond City before," he asks as he opens the map and begins to study it.

"Only once or twice, I hate to be away from my shop for too long," she replies.

"I see," he mutters concentrating on the map.

"However, I have been dragged away before by a very handsome man," she notes dreamily. "He was so brave and charming with that cute mustache."

"Uh huh," Luigi unintentionally responds still focused on the map.

"Actually a mustache very similar to your own," she notes slyly as she scoots closer.

_This place is huge, how am I ever going to find the WarioWare crew in this mess,_ he thinks panicked as he meticulously scans the map. _Oh wait this arena sitting upon this plateau, it fits Merlon's description!_ A smile unfolds across Luigi's face and the tiny white mouser blushes.

"Although I prefer red and stout, I can do lean and green," she flirts as the train comes to a complete stop. "Consider your debt paid," she notes as she leans over.

"What," Luigi asks before the mouser clad in pink pecks him on the cheek. His mouth drops open in shock as she scurries out the open train doors just before they close again.

"Next stop: Diamond City," the conductor announces as the train's engine comes alive once more. Luigi quickly looks out the window to see the station platform. He locates her standing in front of the crowd, she spots him and winks while blowing a kiss then she becomes a blur as the train speeds off toward the next station.

He blinks a couple of times; trying to make sense of what just happened, _How does Mario manage to handle all of this weird stuff?_


	9. High Perched Houses

**Hey guys, its me again with a new update! Wahoo! Hopefully these will become a little more frequent now that I am back at school with my own computer. Well enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Once again I don't own these people. Never will. Wish I did, but not going to happen.  
**

**Chapter 9: High Perched Houses**

A grin comes across Mario's face as he spots the floating house; _There it is, about time!_ After his brief victory, he notices a pair of parabeetles hovering inches above the roof. _Drat, I hope that I'm not too late!_ Quickly, Mario dives lower to avoid being detected and lands on a strip of land along the perimeter of the levitating house beside one of its four courtyards. He hugs the wall and tiptoes toward an entrance into the courtyard, a simple opening in perimeter wall, listening and watching for enemies along the way. As he approaches the opening, he carefully peers around the corner to find, much to his dismay, about forty of Bowser's various flying troops loitering within the yard. He sighs in frustration and tries to formulate a plan of attack; scratching his chin in thought, his arm bumps into Kamek's wand which Mario had relieved the Koopa minion of earlier that evening and stashed away in his overalls for safe keeping. _How could I be so stupid?_ Mario smacks himself playfully on the head; _I don't need to attack at all!_ Another wave of Kamek's wand over Mario's head gives him a vanishing cap to go along with his winged cap. The plumber stealthily jumps into the air and sails above the unsuspecting troops under the guise of invisibility. _This is going to be a cake walk!_ He dives under the arched doorframe and enters into a large, dark, open room where nothing stands out from the dark wooded interior except for an enormous glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The invisible hero heads for the chandelier, grabbing the supporting chain as soon as possible since his feet cannot stand upon the glass as they simply descend through it. _Amazing my hands don't go through the chain,_ he mentally notes as he steadies himself then glances down. His eyes widen, _the Sapphire Star!_ Just below him encased in the chandelier is the dark blue star jewel shimmering in the light bouncing off of the chandelier's crystals. Mario positions himself parallel to the chain, still holding it with his right hand, facing the star then dives down and grabs the star while flying through the chandelier. A victorious smile spreads across his face, _I got it! Now I just have to get back to the castle and old lizard lips' plans are kaput._ He flies toward the courtyard when he hears a sharp crash, like a glass vase shattering on a tile floor. _What the heck?_ Suddenly he feels himself falling, his eyes widen as the ground appears to come up to meet him. "Aaahhh!" He smashes into the gray floor of the courtyard on his stomach, arms outstretched upward with the Sapphire Star clutched in his hands preventing it from sustaining any damage. "Ooooo owww," he wheezes as he rolls onto his back, "That's going to hurt tomorrow; hopefully less so than it does right now! What happened," he mutters to himself in confusion then realizes the wand he had is gone. He turns his head onto the side in order to peer back into the room to find the wand's red orb shattered and scattered on the floor with the gold rod lying just beneath the chandelier. _Dang it,_ Mario mentally kicks himself, _now how am I going to get out of here?_ A loud gasping noise comes from the opposite direction so the plumber rolls his head on the other side where a paragoomba comes into view.

Hovering in the archway to the adjoining courtyard he begins to stutter at the sight of the enemy of the Koopa Kingdom, "Mario! How did you get here? Hey the Sapphire Star, you found it!" The flying fungus quickly turns around and flies into the other courtyard then begins addressing the rest of the troops. "Mario alert! This is not a test! I repeat not a test! He has the Sapphire Star in his possession, so we must take it from him! Charge!"

_Perfect,_ Mario thinks sarcastically while heaving an irritated sigh. _Well, I guess there is no easy way out of this one,_ he pushes himself up to his feet and awaits the coming swarm.

The bright neon lights leave him staring in awe, only the whoosh of the train's departure snaps the younger Mario brother out of his daze. "Diamond City. Diamond City, please enjoy your stay!"

_It's so bright and vibrant,_ Luigi thinks to himself as he wonders out of the train station. _Not exactly Toad Town vibrant, but vibrant all the same._ The street is crowded with a diverse mass of people, more so than any other city or town he has visited before; along with the usually seen koopas, goombas, and toads, but there are also laikus, bomb-ombs, mousers, bean people, and many more that he did not know the names of. _Wow, this is amazing, so many different people and strange businesses,_ he notes as he glances across the street and notices a sushi bar alongside of a karaoke bar which oddly enough sits next to a suit and tuxedo tailoring shop. Luigi shakes his head trying to bring himself to focus on the task at hand, _Anyway, WarioWare Inc. according to the map is on the southern side of town…which way is South?_ He blinks in confusion as he scans both directions of the street; the sun had set at least an hour ago if not sooner, so no help could be offered there. He squints at the map underneath the glow of a streetlamp, trying to determine which side of the street the railroad station sits on. He heads left toward the center of town which is brighter than another other part of town as more of the businesses and their neon signs are concentrated here. It reminded the green clad plumber of home, his original home, New York where Times Square's light could be seen for miles, including his bedroom window in Brooklyn. _I miss home; I wonder how everything is going back in Brooklyn, but then again even I do miss it I don't think Mario and I could ever leave the Mushroom Kingdom. I mean he's with Princess Peach and I…well I…I could never leave my brother behind, never._ Luigi heaves a heavy sigh, _There are plenty of other reasons to stay right? I have friends here too; they all knew Mario first, but that doesn't matter. They like me for who I am,_ he mentally self-assures. _Anyway, back to finding WarioWare Inc.; I should be getting close. _He glances up from the map and his mouth drops as he spots the plateau, _It's a lot higher than I thought; I hope there's an elevator somewhere, I wouldn't think Wario would have the energy or desire to climb up all that way on his own. _He eyes the winding stairs on the left then notices a thin straight crack toward the right. He steps up to inspect it and is greeted with a ding, he smirks as the doors open and he steps into the simple steel elevator. The ride up is smoother and quiet, but that ends as soon as the doors open again inside WarioWare Inc. as the scene is pure pandemonium. Various colors of koopas, buzzy beetles, parakoopas, and parabeetles swarm about the room attacking anything in sight. A small girl with long black pigtails, tied toward the back of her head dressed in a red dress that matches her shoes and headband, dashes by him with three parakoopas following behind. He peers out to see the young teen, her eyes glowing red waves a ruby wand sending fireballs chasing after her pursuers like homing missiles. As the girl sends her foes running, five parabeetles take their place.

"Curses," the teen witch mutters then runs toward another set of doors leading to a lobby, where two younger girls are also fighting a cluster of Bowser's minions. One of the girls dashes across the room with a sword in hand and swings at one of the parakoopas flying towards her. A harsh metallic clang radiates throughout the room followed by a grunt of frustration. As he continues watching through the doorway to the lobby, five small pieces of metal slice through the air toward a couple of paragoombas; a yelp of pain confirms a solid hit.

"Score," exclaims the star wielding girl, her pink ponytail swaying to the side as she quickly dodges an attack from a buzzy beetle. Another yelp grabs Luigi's attention from the battle in the lobby; the lower and more gruff voice of Wario echoing from a different room ahead. The young plumber bobs and weaves across the room and down the hall following his cousin's distressed voice.

"Do you think they'll be okay Yoshi," Peach asks concerned, clutching a pillow tight to her chest as she gazes out her balcony door from her bed.

"Of course they are! Yoshi has seen them go through much worse than this," the green dinosaur assures.

"I guess you're right," she admits before they hear a loud knock on the door.

"Princess…" Toadsworth begins, "I would advise that we all turn in for the night as tomorrow is a busy day."

"Okay Toadsworth, good night," she calls to the elderly toad before turning back to Yoshi. "Well I guess I'll see you in the morning; good night Yoshi."

"Good night," he replies as he leaves and shuts the door behind him. Slowly Peach prepares for bed, taking about a half hour before she is in her nightgown ready to bury herself under the covers. Lying down on her side, she snuggles down trying to get comfortable, but unable to. Facing the balcony doors she stares at the clear night sky, the stars sparkling bright like a field full of fireflies. Her frantic mind calms as she continues to gaze at the sky.

_I wonder how Twink is doing,_ she ponders about her little star friend who was vital in her and Mario's fight against Bowser when he not captured her, but risen her castle into the sky and stole the star rod from Star Haven. _He's probably busy granting hundreds of wishes, but I wonder could he grant one more?_ Her gaze changes from awe to hopeful; _Please make sure the boys come back safe and sound from wherever they are._ Her eyelids meet and a yawn escapes her lips before she falls fast asleep.

As for the princess's wish, it does not fall upon deaf ears; high above in Star Haven, the blue star spirit known as Skolar smiles. _Ah Princess Toadstool, a selfless wish from a noble heart is never to be ignored. I do wonder how our youngest star spirit is fairing as the personal guardian of our beloved star rod. I should check in on him._ The star spirit glides from his lofty post toward the temple; the large sparkling doors swing open leading to a vast domed room with crystal pillars surrounding the risen center. The star rod floats within a glass sphere inches above a platform in the middle of the room and beside it a smaller star with intense eyes keeps watch over it only breaking his gaze to spot who is coming through the door.

"Star spirit Skolar! What are you doing here? Do you need to use the star rod," Twink rapidly asks.

"Relax young star, I only came to relay a wish sent specifically to you," the older star replies.

A mixture of befuddlement, shock, and excitement glow in the younger star's innocent eyes, "Me Sir?"

Skolar lets out a laugh, "Yes, you! From Princess Toadstool in the Mushroom Kingdom; she wishes for the safe return of the Mario Brothers from their journey."

"Oh well okay, I'll get right on that!" The smaller star turns to leave, but stops and looks back toward the elder, blue star spirit. "What about the star rod? We can't leave it unguarded; can we?"

"It will be fine, now go," Skolar orders; "Be a star and grant that wish!" Twink leaves in a dash of sparkling dust, descending toward the Mushroom Kingdom while Skolar slowly makes his way out of the temple trying to think of an older star kid to temporarily take Twink's place. It is not long before another young star, Spark, is sent to guard the rod while Skolar continues his work. Spark is not left alone for long as another star enter the temple, one that he had never seen before.

"Can I help you," he asks the strange star with a single tooth peering out from behind the star's bottom lip and donning a pair of thick rimmed, tear drop eyeglasses.

"Oh no, I'm just here to work on the wall," replies the strange star with a grin then suddenly a bright ray of color blink Spark and renders him unconscious. "Finally," the foreign star sighs in relief, "I can get out of this ridiculous disguise! I can't work in this form." Another flash of light ensues, whiting out the star's image and reveals her true form, Kammy Koopa. She looks down at the fallen star kid and shrugs nonchalantly then eagerly claps her hands together. "All right, let's get this show on the road!" Hobbling toward the back wall, Kammy sticks out her arm and touches the wall, looking for the opening to the secret room she had read about in her books. Finally she felt it, a handle invisible to the naked eye, but easily recognized by touch. As her scaly hand clamps down on the cool metal handle, the pristine white door appears and opens leading her to the chamber containing the Reflectivus Portal. The magikoopa smirks as the mirror comes into view; the white wood is almost blinding as it reflects all the light surrounding it while the glass of mirror does the same, but also revealing it surrounds including its soon to be owner. Kammy whips out her wand; the red stone at the tip glows and emits a purple flash causing the elderly koopa witch and mirror to disappear from sight.

His muscles ache, head is throbbing, lungs on fire, and the taste of iron fills his mouth as the red clad plumber once again pulls himself up from the floor after being kicked in the mouth by a swooping paragoomba. "Give it up plumber boy! There is no way you can beat all of us," a red shelled parakoopa taunts. "Now hand over the Sapphire Star and we'll go easy on you." Mario brushes his hand across the side pocket of his overhauls feeling the rough bulge that the star creates sitting snug in his pocket. His eyes light up with a renewed determination, knowing that if he gave up now Bowser would be that much closer to gaining power that he did not need or deserve.

"I've fought off at least half of you pests already," Mario slowly quips, "I can handle the rest of you. Come and get me!" He brings up his fists clenched to his face like a boxer ready for the next round.

"You asked for it, charge!" The parakoopa commands sending numerous fliers toward Mario; they tackle him like a defensive line sacking a quarterback on a football field. He squirms fiercely, trying to wiggle loose an arm or leg to gain some leverage which eventually pays off as his right elbow gains room. With all his might he raises it up while straightening his arm, sending three buzzy beetles flying across the room. A sharp pain travels up his thigh as a paragoomba bites down hard into his flesh. The hero grabs the winged fungus' foot and rips the paragoomba away from his leg slamming it down on the ground rendering the foe unconscious; then using the creature as a weapon, he begins smacking the other minions with their comrade. The enemies start to retreat, giving Mario a chance to stand back up. "Come on guys, don't let up," the parakoopa rallies, in response the plumber chucks the paragoomba at the flying turtle and knocks him down. Another wave of enemies begins to swarm, this time dive bombing the red clad hero. A buzzy beetle flies straight toward him, quickly Mario side steps and grabs one of the beetle's wings then swing around, accelerating the beetle's momentum, then releases it, sending it crashing into a cluster of incoming flyers. The attack combo makes an opening from the courtyard for the plumber hero. He darts out of the courtyard then skids to an abrupt stop realizing that the edge is a drop off.

"Whew," Mario sighs in relief, but not for long as when he turns around a pair of parakoopas dive down and smashes into him causing him to stumble over the edge. "Waaah!" The Twilight House becomes smaller and smaller as Mario continues to free fall toward the woods below. Fliers do follow, but are not fast enough to catch the plummeting plumber. He closes his eye bracing for immense pain, expecting to splatter on the forest floor. Much to his surprise, there is a sudden flash of white light then nothing but pitch black. He ventures to open his eyes to see a darkened version of the day sky above him. _Huh?_ The plumber then quickly reaches back into his pocket and finds the Sapphire Star still there. He lets out a sigh of relief.

"Master Mario why are you lying on the floor," an elderly voice yawns. Mario sits up fast and blinks realizing that he had somehow ended up back in Peach's castle lying on the floor of the foyer.

An instant smile appears on his face, "I made it! Toadsworth, I have the Sapphire Star and I'm back! But…" he pauses as he looks around, "how did I get here?"

"I would assume you walked or had some form of vehicular assistance," Toadsworth responds with a hint of sarcasm.

"No you don't understand," the Italian man continues as he grabs the elderly toad by the shoulders, "I was falling."

"Falling sir?"

"Yes, falling from a floating house," Toadsworth gives a skeptical glance. "It's true! A swarm of Bowser's flyers were attacking me and they pushed me over the ledge then as I was falling there was a flash of light and I ended up here."

Toadsworth blankly blinks then shakes his head, "Well you have had crazier adventures, so I assume that the scenario is probable. I have no answer to your inquiry, but alas all that matters is that you are back with the Sapphire Star. Now, would you like me to prepare on of the guest rooms so that you may rest?"

"Sure I could use some sleep," Mario agrees with a yawn.

"Mario!" The princess appears at the top of the staircase still in her nightgown. "How did it go?"

"Long story, but I have the star," Mario gleams as she comes down to meet him.

"That's great," she exclaims as she gives him a hug. The embrace causes Mario to smile instantly, glad to be back with her.

"Princess Toadstool, don't you think we should all get some rest," Toadsworth suggests in an authoritative tone.

"Yeah," she responds permissively as she lets go of Mario. "Where'd you find it?"

"Twilight House, it's a floating house in Twilight Woods," the hero explains.

"Wow, that's really far from here…How did you get back so fast?"

"I don't know," he confesses.

"But I do," a little tinny voice proclaims triumphantly. The three jump back in shock, surprised by the little star's appearance.

"Twink! It's so great to see you! How are you," Peach eagerly asks.

"I'm great! I am an honorary Star Spirit now and I'm a lot more powerful than before. I can grant big wishes now; that's why Mario is here." Toadsworth and Mario look at each other befuddled while Peach claps her hands excitedly together.

"Aww Twink, thank you so much! I didn't the Stars would answer so quickly," she exclaims gratefully.

"Anything for you princess," Twink blushes.

"Um, well I don't mean to be picky or pushy," the pink adoring princess begins, "but I was hoping for both of the Mario Brothers to return and I'm don't see Luigi here."

"Well, uh see the problem is," the littlest Star Spirit stammers, "I am more powerful, but I cannot teleport two people in the same night yet." He nervously laughs, "I need at least 24 hours in between teleports."

"So my little bro is still out there? Well, that means only one thing," Mario begins to head to the door when Toadsworth stops him.

"Master Mario, it would do no one any good to go gallivanting off without a destination or plan. You would probably not be able to reach Master Luigi tonight anyway. Why don't we all try to get some rest and start fresh in the morning? I'm positive that Master Luigi is and will be fine. He can handle himself, I assure you." Mario begrudgingly agrees and follows Toadsworth to one of the guest rooms.

Luigi continues down the maze of hallways trying to find Wario; his only source of guidance is the deep gruff voice of his cousin bantering toward Bowser's minions. The green clad man turns another corner hoping that he is getting close. "This'll teach ya to come bargin' into my joint," Wario quips then a crashing noise soon follows. Various crashing, yelping, rumbling, and tumbling sounds continue to resonant throughout the halls leading the younger Mario Brother to the source of the ruckus. As he approaches the door he stops when he hears Wario's panicked voice, "All right, calm down just tell me what you want and I'll give it to you." Luigi scratches his head in confusion, but it all becomes clear when hears a woman's voice respond.

"Don't help this creep Wario! He doesn't have the guts or brains to do anything," The woman pleads defiantly.

"Spunky one ain't she," another voice responds. "Fiery red-head shouldn't be surprised; probably why you like her so much." Wario clinches his teeth and grumbles at the personal note stated aloud. Luigi peers in around the frame of the door, careful to not be seen; close to the door stands Wario in his biker outfit, consisting his jean jacket, purple jeans, yellow aviator cap with goggles with matching fingerless, leather gloves, while across from him a green magikoopa holds a woman with bright, fire engine red hair and blue eyes hostage. Holding an electrified wand beside the woman's head, the green clad wizard points the wand toward her head while holding her still with an arm across the chest. "I wouldn't chance it, Wario. This rod is channeling enough electricity to fry her within a second, so tell me where the star crystal is and I'll let her go." Wario sighs angrily, he never likes to loose treasure, but in this situation it is the lesser of two evils.

It's in the blue chest in my room, under the bed." The magikoopa gins satisfied, "I held up my end; now let Mona go."

"Ah see about that, I sort of fibbed," the green wizard sarcastically remarks. "What I really would like is for you to go and get it for me." Wario grumbles again, but agrees and heads out the door toward Luigi. The green clad plumber sits still hoping to have Wario pass on by without noticing, which he does and heads back down the hall where Luigi came from. Again he peers around the corner of the door frame to see what the magikoopa is up to when his nose begins to twitch, he feels a sneeze coming on.

_No, no, no! Not now,_ he clutches his nose trying to stop the inevitable; he sneezes and it echoes in the hall.

"What was that? Who's there," the magikoopa barks becoming paranoid. "Alright you," he addresses Mona, "We are walking toward the door. No funny stuff or you get zapped; now walk." Luigi again assumes a scrunched sitting position, trying not to move, as the sound of shuffling feet comes closer and closer. He holds his breath when the tips of her blue shoes peer out from the doorway. "Anyone there?" The pair emerges into the hallway still oblivious to Luigi's presence. Slowly and quietly he stands up and steps behind the magikoopa. The green koopa wizard moves his arm, stretching it, but at the same time temporarily moving the wand away from his hostage's head. Luigi seizes the wizard's arm and pries away the wand, "What the?" Then the koopa grunts in pain as Mona steps on his foot, elbows him in the gut, and pushes him to the ground.

As he lies there she begins to furiously kick him in the side, "This is what you get for being a jerk, you overgrown turtle!"

"I was only doing my job," the magikoopa whimpers in between kicks landing on his side.

Luigi cringes with each kick she delivers and decides to interrupt, "Uh I think he's down, no need to kick a man when he's down." She quickly turns around and glares at him; he gulps not wanting to endure the same fate as the koopa.

"Thanks for your help, but like who are you," she asks in a biting tone.

"Well I'm," the younger Mario Brother begins when Wario interrupts.

"Hey! What are you doing here," he asks in a mixture of relief and shock. Luigi again begins, but Wario looks past him. "Mona! How did you get away from the Harry Potter flunky?" She motions toward Luigi, frustrated and sick of being talked over, but he holds his tongue. "Oh," Wario responds slightly stunned and embarrassed, "you did this?" Luigi nods his nonchalantly. "I guess I should thank you then." He holds out his large hand and with a small grin Luigi shakes it. "So what brings you all the way out here Luigi?"

Mona gives Wario a questioning look and interrupts, "Who?"

Wario sighs and motions toward Luigi, "He's my cousin."

"Cousin?" She looks at Luigi again, "I thought you like didn't get along with your cousin."

"No, that's his brother, my other cousin, Mario," he corrects then turns back to Luigi. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm actually here for the star crystal."

"What! You too," Wario snarls; "What is so freakin' important about this thing?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but let's just say if Bowser gets his claws on it; the Mushroom Kingdom is in trouble."

"Bowser, geez he needs to get a life. How many times has he tried to take over that stupid kingdom and failed. What a loser," Wario notes contemptuously, having a lower tolerance for the Koopa King than Mario his sworn rival. Wario rolls his eyes; "All right, I guess you can have it," he grumbles as he pulls out the crystal from his jean jacket pocket and hands it to Luigi.

"Thanks," Luigi responses gratefully as he places it in his overhaul pocket. "Well it was nice to meet you Mona and good to see you again Wario, but I got to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom as soon as possible." The pair nods understanding, "Have fun cleaning up the rest of Bowser's minions." The younger Mario Brother begins to leave when he pauses and faces them again. "Actually here, enjoy!" Luigi tosses Wario the wand he took earlier and jogs back to the lobby elevator. Wario cocks his head, examining the wand then smirks at Mona. She smirks as well and they both head toward the magikoopa stuck on his back. Flipping his head over, the magikoopa see the couple heading toward him with mischievous grins on their faces.

"Please no, no!" Their chuckling echoes throughout the halls.


	10. Sun's Morning Rays

**Another chapter, I'm on a roll!!! Hee hee! Well guess what here's where that lovely T rating comes in; some cursing and a slightly suicidal thought, nothing too terrible I hope….Well anyway, thanks for the reviews, specially the Kapt., I like your thinking! Enough talk on with the chapter!**

**Except this of course…**

**Disclaimer:**** Not my characters! I did not come up with them so thus not mine! They belong to Nintendo. (Geez this is getting repetitive, but I gotta cover myself).**

**Chapter 10: Sun's Morning Rays**

The sun's ray's pierce through the glass of the balcony door and consequently glaring in Daisy's face. Rolling away from the window she grumbles, "Not worth getting up today." Just as she is beginning to fall back asleep her bedroom door flies open and her grandmother steps in.

"Daisy wake up, it's nine o'clock! Time for breakfast," she notes happily.

"Are those idiots going to be there," she mummers vexed.

Hyacinth smirks as she grabs the edge of Daisy's comforter, "Maybe…" She rips the blanket off of Daisy causing the princess to instinctively curl up for warmth. "It's not that bad, I'm sure."

"Grandma," Daisy stars as she sits straight up in bed, "yesterday I had to sit down and talk to them for a half hour each. I had to hear about Prince Toffee's stamp collection, Cashmire's recent exploits in and training for a strong man's contest, and Pine's hunting trips with his father then I had to deal with Waluigi's sarcastic commentary on everything and his attempts to compliment me. The only normal guy here is Prince Peasley and he's a bean!" Hyacinth gives an unsympathetic look, cocking one eyebrow. "I guess I'll be down in a couple of minutes," the desert princess huffs.

"Good," the former queen smiles, "we're having crepes and fruit. See you down there sweetie." She shuts the door behind her and Daisy flops down back on her bed.

_Why me, urrgh!_ She runs her hands through her hair in frustration then sits back up. _Okay, okay, let's just take this one step at a time. Go to get dressed then makeup and …I hate this_, she thinks as she goes to her closet to grab her dress and begins to get ready for her appearance downstairs.

The sun peaks up above the horizon piercing through the window of the train immediately causing Luigi to stir. He barely opens his eyes, squinting out of window to figure out the source of light. He had been resting his head in the nook between the back of his seat and the train wall, his head facing toward the window. _It can't be time for the sun already,_ he whines wishing the sun had a snooze button. _So that means it's around seven and I've been on this train for three hours? Not even close to a full night's rest, might as well go back to sleep, got at least two more hours until I get back to the border of the Mushroom Kingdom then maybe another half to one hour after that anyway._ He turns over, back towards the window and sun when the conduction comes over the PA system.

"Sorry for the interruption folks, but it seems there is a problem with the track switch up here which would have led us to the Mushroom Kingdom, so we are going to take a detour and stop within the Beanbean Kingdom until the problem is fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience folks."

The speaker shuts off and Luigi's eyes pop open as the information given over the PA just now begins to sink in, _Are you serious? It's going to take forever to fix the tracks._ He sighs irritated, _I guess I'll be trekking up to Stardust Fields up to back to the border of Mushroom Kingdom then warp piping from there or maybe I could go to the airport, but that means spending money…_ The train shakes as it crosses onto the bridge over the Beanbean River and off again; it begins to slow as it pulls up to the station. _This has to be new, must have put it in after the attack from Bowser's Castle a couple of years ago._

"Beanbean Station, all passengers please depart onto the station platform. Feel free to take in some of the sights here in the Beanbean Kingdom such as the Beanbean Castle and the Chuckola Museum. The train will be function once again soon. Sorry again for the inconvenience and thank you for choosing Kingdoms Expressway for your traveling needs." The plumber and the rest of the passengers walk out of the train single file and into the station. Most of the passengers head to the nearest phone to inform loved ones or business associates of the delay while others, including Luigi, begin to explore to get a grasp on where they exactly are.

_Well let's see,_ Luigi thinks as he turns toward the south. _I believe the airport is that way, so the castle is this way, _turning 180° now facing north. _I think I'll visit the prince, maybe he'd be generous enough to give me a ride back to Peach's Castle on that winged bean thing that he uses._ He heads toward the castle hoping for a quick return home.

Mario awakes to the sun's light in his eyes, causing him to roll over to escape the light. "Just five more minutes bro," he mummers sleepily, smacking his lips then he suddenly leaps out of bed. "Luigi, I almost forgot! I've got to go find him now!"

"I believe that you should eat breakfast before journeying off," Toadsworth suggests in a fatherly tone from the doorway.

"Aah! Sheesh," Mario clutches his chest surprised at the elderly toad's appearance. _How does he do that?_ He shakes off the shock and replies to the toad's suggestion, "But could I just eat on the go? Weegie is out there all by himself in unfamiliar territory, not only to him but me as well!"

"Master Mario, Master Luigi is a grown and adaptable adult; he can handle himself."

"But you don't understand," Mario continues, "it's and older brother thing. If something happens to him, I would feel like I failed as an older brother. I'm suppose to protect him."

"I empathize Master Mario I do, but I would like to approach this with a better plan than having you running off without a clue as where to go. The last thing we need is to loose both of you, the princess would fall to pieces!"

"Well when you say it like that…."

"Now come to the kitchen and join the princess for breakfast," Toadsworth insists and leads the way. Mario sighs, frustrated that the elderly toad always seems to get his way. Mario enters the kitchen where Princess Peach is already sitting at the table eating some strawberry pancakes. The plumber hero joins her with a plate stacked high with five pancakes smothered in maple syrup. He gets about half way through before he slows down and sets his fork down in thought.

Reading him like a book Peach tries to comfort her hero, "I'm sure he's fine, probably on his way home right now."

"Thanks Peach," Mario smiles appreciatively, "did I mention that you look beautiful today?"

"No, but you say that everyday," Peach giggles bubbly as she blushes.

"Only because it's true, you're the most beautiful woman in the world." They look at each other lovingly then lean toward one another eyes closing, lips almost touching, when…

"Master Mario!"

Mario sighs again Toadsworth has interfered with his plans. _I swear one of these days..._

The flustered Toadsworth squeezes between the lovebirds and turns their attention to a slip of paper. "I did some research with the information you gave me Master Mario and found the phone numbers to all the major train companies along with taxi services and the airports, but most importantly the number of WarioWare Inc."

"That's wonderful Toadsworth," Peach praises.

"All in a day's work Princess Toadstool," he responds dully, but a sparkle in his eye shows his joy in his work being appreciated.

"I guess I should call him then," Mario notes in dread. Peach puts her hand on his shoulder supportively while nodding her heard. Mario sighs before dialing the number.

"He's not here? That's weird," Luigi notes.

"Yes I'm sorry, he's currently partaking in some endeavor out of the kingdom," the advisor to Queen Bean informs.

"Dang, oh well I guess I'm going on a hike then. Thanks for your help," Luigi waves goodbye and heads for the door.

"I'll let him know you stopped by," the advisor shouts after the younger Mario Brother before he disappears outside.

_Didn't exactly want to hike all that way, but I guess I have no other choice now; unless I want to wait for the train._ He walks into the local item shop and checks the clock, 9:17. _I'm not waiting; it's probably going to take them all day to fix the tracks. It would be faster if I just walk._ He leaves the shop and heads north through the woods toward Stardust Fields.

"May I speak to Wario please," Mario asks trying to sound kind and cover up the dread in his voice.

"One moment please," Mona swivels in her chair and yells back toward Wario's office; "Hey Wario you have a call!"

"We really need to get some more phones," Wario grumbles as he comes out of his office and sits on the receptionist's desk. "So Mona what are you doing tonight babe?" He waggles his eyebrows at her causing her to giggle and Mario, who can hear their entire conversation, gags.

"Depends," she answers coyly.

"Playing hard to get on me uh; you always knew what I liked," Wario flirts.

"Answer your call then we'll talk," she continues to tease.

"Deal sweet cakes," Wario takes the phone from her. "This is Wario, what do you want and make it fast."

"Isn't she a little young for you," Mario asks, suspicious of Wario's intents.

"Mario! It's none of your freakin' business! Grr…," Wario covers the mouthpiece, but not very well and turns back to Mona. "I thought you were going to screen my calls!"

"Sorry forgot to ask," Mona apologizes nonchalantly.

Wario sighs begrudged, not wanting to bother talking to his cousin, but uncovers the phone. "So did you call to criticize me Mr. High-and-Mighty or did you need something," the elfin cousin asks vexed.

Mario clears his throat and fights the urge to scream at Wario remembering that this is for Luigi; "I want to know if you have seen my brother," he responds coldly.

"Yeah he was here," Wario answers vaguely.

"Was? Where is he now?"

"I don't know! He said he had to get back to you and your little girlfriend's kingdom," Wario sneers defensively.

"When did he leave," Mario asks his tone more biting showing that he is getting more frustrated by the second.

"Around 3 this morning I think," Wario scratches his chin.

"Three! And you just let him walk on out," Mario exclaims angrily.

"Hey he's the one who left in an all-fire-hurry; I didn't shove him out the door! Geez maybe he'd a little thicker skinned if you didn't baby him all the freakin' time," Wario jabs.

"Oh yeah so he can end up like Waluigi, hating life and everyone around him; not to mention being cold hearted and selfish," Mario quips back. Peach and Toadsworth exchange concerned glances as Mario stands up yelling into the phone.

"At least Waluigi can fend for himself and isn't a coward," Wario yells into the phone causing Mona to wish she had screened the call. "I bet he's even afraid of the dark and his own shadow!"

"Luigi is not a coward or afraid of his shadow, you fat greedy bastard," Mario screams.

"Ooo, that hurts I really feel bad that the great Mario disapproves of me so! You know what I might be greedy, but at least I worked for my money; not everyone gets to be a princess's whipped boytoy!"

"Whipped boytoy! I'm gonna kick your ass one of…" Toadsworth tackles Mario down with the help of a couple of guards while Peach snatches the phone.

"Wario hi, this is Princess Peach; um listen you said Luigi left around three?"

"Yeah," Wario responds, slowly calming down.

"Okay, any idea if he was traveling by plane, train, or car?"

"Well usually people travel here by train and our main train company is Kingdoms Express."

"Thank you Wario, you have been really helpful," Peach notes graciously and smiles.

"No problem Princess."

"Have a wonderful day," she sincerely wishes.

"You too," he hangs up the phone and looks up to meet Mona's skeptical stare. "What? I told you we don't get along," he says defensively.

"Yeah, but I didn't know it was that bad," Mona exclaims then again smiles coyly. "That was awesome! You are such a bad boy, what are you doing tonight?" Wario smiles widely and again waggles his eyebrows.

Peach presses the talk button and turns to Mario who is brushing himself off, "What is wrong with you two? You guys can't even talk on the phone to each other for five minutes before ripping off each other's heads!"

"He started it when he accused me of coddling Luigi thus making him a coward! Completely false then he pushed it further when he called me your whipped boytoy," Mario crosses his arms angrily.

"I do believe Master Mario that you called him a name first," Toadsworth points out.

"That doesn't matter, he deserved it," Mario responds defiantly which makes Toadsworth roll his eyes skeptically.

"The important thing is that we have a lead in finding Luigi right," Peach asks trying to keep positive. Mario nods his head stubbornly as she wraps her arms around his shoulders and places her head on his left shoulder. "You're a good man and brother, no matter what anyone says." She kisses him on the cheek causing Toadsworth to mutter something about lovebirds being too understanding and sappy. "Now let's find Luigi."

Mario smiles and grabs the phone, "What's the number?"

_This fork is looking like the best option, just stick it in my temple or forehead and all this torture will be over_, Daisy picks at her crepe with the fork in question. The sarcastic suicidal thought comes after a long breakfast with the suitors. She has never witnessed so much brown nosing in all of her life, most from Prince Cashmire, no shock there; however what is surprising is that along with Prince Peasley, Waluigi is silent during the entire meal.

"Well that was an excellent meal," King Thorn notes as he wipes his mouth with his cloth napkin.

_Yeah great, now that it's over._ They all stand and in their chairs ready to leave when the king makes one more decree.

"Daisy, why don't you show the courtiers around the castle grounds and the town today?" Her mouth drops open in surprise while the suitors chatter in agreement. The flower princess looks toward her grandmother, eyes pleading for help out of the situation.

"Sounds like a marvelous idea," she sweetly encourages the King meanwhile looking at her granddaughter with a smile screaming 'it's for your own good.' Daisy huffs and rolls her eyes feeling utterly betrayed.

"Fine," she agrees bitterly then turns to the princes. "Go get ready and we'll go into town." The men scramble to their rooms while Daisy heads to the foyer to wait for them.

He has been trekking through the countryside for about an hour without a break and his feet remind him of that with each step he takes. The green clad man pushes on for another hour until he comes up to a river. _Must be getting close, this should be the start of the river after it travels down Hoohoo Mountain. I think I'll take a break for a couple of minutes._ He makes his way down to the edge of the bank and finds a slower, shallower part of the river where one can cross by foot. Perching himself on a large flat rock, he takes his shoes off, sets them on the rock beside him, then takes off his socks stuffing each one in their corresponding shoe. He rolls up his pant legs then submerges his feet into the water, a shiver shoots up his back as the icy water surround his bare feet. "Ah," he states in relief then looks around at the scenery. _This is absolutely magnificent, like a picture out of one of those nature magazines! How did we miss this place on our journey here last time? It's going to be a shame to leave, it's so peaceful here._ Luigi smiles, again taking in the scenery then a yawn escapes his lips. _Wow I'm tired all of a sudden,_ he smacks his lips then lies back onto the rock; _maybe I'll rest my eyes for a couple of minutes._ The sun's pleasant glow keeps him warm as his aching feet take comfort in the swirling cold water that gradually drains away the pain and soreness; however, Luigi is not alone as upstream another being comes across the river.


	11. Paintings and Flowers

**Another chapter! Yeah! Enjoy everyone!**

**Disclaimer: You all know this already and frankly I'm sick of typing it.**

**Chapter 11: Paintings and Flowers**

"Blast it! I mush have taken a wrong turn once I got out of Teehee Valley; I didn't want to head toward the stupid mountain!" The purple thief glares at the river that lies before him. "Now I'm going to have to find away across, great," he grumbles as he begins to walk downstream to find a crossing point. His stomach gurgles and rumbles, the self proclaimed "Shadow Thief" rubs his ailing stomach with his gloved hands. "What I would give for one of those god-awful grilled mushroom sandwiches," he reminiscences from his time working for the toads in Fungitown. He left only a couple of days ago, sick of taking their orders, he took off across Teehee Valley heading for the castle or at least the town. _Stupid toads couldn't even think about stealing something without them noticing! No matter, once I hit town I'll be able to steal everything I need!_ Again his stomach growls in hunger, "Oh all right, geez I guess I'll find some food." He comes around the river bend to find the shallow shoals allowing for passage. "Finally," he exclaims excitedly then stops suddenly noticing a green lump sitting on a rock just on the other side of the river; he grins and throws his fist in the air triumphantly. _Looks like my luck has changed! Not only have I found my way across, but also some food as well. Frog legs sound delicious!_ Using his thieving skills, he stealthy stalks his prey and closes in, quietly sneaking up behind the rock. Slowly he creeps up into a kneeling position so his eyes rise just above the edge of the rock allowing him to see his target.

_Wait a minute,_ he examines the blob closer, now looking nothing like a frog; he brings his hand up and pokes the top of the odd green thing. _This isn't a frog! What the hell!_ He grinds his teeth angrily _I wasted all this time and effort, not to mention getting my clothes wet, stalking this useless thing! What is this thing anyway?_ He stands all the way up then his eyes open in shock as he finds a man resting on the rock. _Ahh! Wait, why does he look familiar?_ He scratches his chin in thought then clinches his fists angrily as the answer dawns on him. _Green! Oh how I've wanted to get you back for your interference! Hold it usually Red is with him which make me wonder, is he around here?_ The thief quickly looks around and seeing no signs of the other man, pops his knuckles preparing to take his revenge. He walks around the rock now facing Luigi and blocking the sun. A cold feeling rushes over the younger Mario Brother causing him to wake; he stretches his arms and yawns then is startled by a voice. "All right Green, prepare for the beating of a lifetime!"

"Huh? What's going on," Luigi asks before he feels himself pushed off the rock into the cold water. The sharp pain of landing on the harsh rocks and the chilly shock of the water snap him out of his sleepy daze. A punch lands on his cheek then he is pulled up, putting him face to face with his attacker. "Popple?!?"

"That's right Greenie, time to pay for all those beatings you and your pal put me through!" The stripe wearing thief punches Luigi in the face again, sending him back into the cold water. Popple throws another punch, but Luigi catches his fist and pushes him back into the river. They both stand and charge at one another; Luigi again grabs Popple's fists, preventing him from throwing a punch and knees the purple thief in the gut. Popple cringes and wheezes as the air is knocked out of him. Luigi then pushes Popple back down and jumps in the air anticipating on slamming the thief with a jump attack, but it fails when Popple rolls out of the way, leaving Luigi to land on the rocky riverbed with his bare feet.

"Ow," the green clad man groans with gritted teeth. Taking the opportunity, Popple swings his feet around, tripping Luigi then tackles him once more. Sitting on Luigi's back, Popple grabs a fistful of the plumber's hair and plunges his face down into the water. Luigi feeling like his lungs were burning as they are deprived of oxygen suddenly gets a cool wave of relief as his head rises out of the water. The cool air rushes to his lungs as he gasps for much needed oxygen.

"Having fun Green? I'm having a blast," Popple laughs as he again shoves Luigi's head into the water. Waving his arms frantically, Luigi tries to hit Popple and force him to let go, but cannot reach far enough back to hit the pest. His head bobs in and out of the water several more times before the green clad plumber decides on a new tactic; as his head again submerges into the river, he flails for a couple of seconds then goes limp. Popple raises and eyebrow skeptically when Luigi stops moving then he lets go of the man's head. It sinks lower into the water; a smug grin appears on the purple thief's face as he flips Luigi over, bringing his face back to the surface of the water. "And that's what you get for messing with Popple the Shadow Thief," he gloats as he stands up and claps his hands arrogantly together. "Now which way to the next town," he ponders. Suddenly his legs are pulled out from underneath him as Luigi springs alive from his playing possum tactic and knocks Popple off his feet and flat on the ground. The Mario Brother grabs the thief by the collar and begins pummel his face with a barrage of punches. After hitting Popple in the cheeks and mouth a couple of times, Luigi hits the thief's left eye causing it to immediately swell shut. The black eye is the last straw for Popple as he uses all his strength and slams his fists into Luigi's chest. The hit leaves Luigi breathless feeling as if a piece of metal slammed into his diaphragm.

_He couldn't have punched me that hard_, Luigi thinks as he clutches his chest. Popple slips out from underneath the plumber and begins to walk away. "Where are you going," the plumber gasps, not ready to throw in the towel yet. He watches as the shadow thief stops and picks up something from in the water.

"Forget something Greenie," Popple chuckles, Luigi's brow furrows in confusion.

_What is he talking about,_ the plumber wonders as he feels his heart beat a thousand times a minute. _My heart is going to leap out of my chest,_ he wheezes then he has an epiphany; he can feel his heart beat with his hands when he should not be able to. His head snaps up and to his dismay finds the star crystal resting in Popple's clutches.

"As much fun as this has been, I think this will be payment enough for all the pain you've caused me. Should be worth some good dough, see ya later loser!" Popple runs off down along the river's edge onto the bank.

_No! I can't let him get away,_ he takes two strides into a run when he stops and turns around. _Shoes, shoes, I won't last half a mile without them!_ He quickly slips them on and runs after the shadow thief.

"The tracks are damaged," Mario asks the woman from Kingdoms Express.

"Yes sir, the tracks leading to the Mushroom Kingdom Border are in need of repair."

"But if the tracks are damaged then where did the train heading for the Mushroom Kingdom go?"

"The train had to detour to the Beanbean Kingdom until repairs are made," the woman states blandly having stated this information a couple hundred times this morning.

"Do you know when the train will be back on schedule," Mario asks hopefully as Peach and Toadsworth sit next to him waiting for answers.

"We cannot tell at this point sir, but it seems that the tracks will not be fixed for quite sometime; our best estimate is seven o' clock this evening."

"Alrighty thank you," Mario says before hanging up the phone. He turns to Peach, "Well apparently there are problems with the tracks. Luigi won't be able to get back on the train until at seven and that's the earliest."

"Ah, but Master Mario we now know where he is do we not," Toadsworth notes with a hint of smugness.

"Yeah, he's in the Beanbean Kingdom," Mario notes a little relieved, "and he's been there before so he should be fine."

"There was no need to worry then was there? Now let us attend to more pressing matters, such as the security of the Sapphire Star." The elderly toad consul hops off his chair and motions for Mario and Peach toward the foyer and downstairs toward the basement. They enter the basement and walk off toward the left to face a brick red door that almost blends into the wall. Mario cocks his head to the side confused as he does not recall the door being there; Toadsworth pulls out a key ring with numerous keys on it and sorts through until he finds a key that is the same color as the door and sticks it into the lock. The elderly toad opens the door to reveal a safe door; Mario gives a look of disbelief as Toadsworth struggles to turn the wheel lever. Finally the safe door opens revealing another storage room, but it is not just any ordinary storage room; it is a special storage room as it holds the castle's most prized and expensive items. The trio walks in and the room is set up like a museum exhibition; paintings of rulers past hang upon the walls while gold jewelry, jewels and gems of every color, and other miscellaneous items rest on pedestals underneath glass covers. Mario wonders over to the right wall where a picture of a blonde king and queen pose with a fair-haired baby dressed in white in the mother's arms. The plumber looks at Peach who is standing behind him and studying the same picture.

"Are these people who I think they are," Mario asks vaguely.

"My father and mother with me; must have been painted before they died," she muses her eyes watering, but she refuses to cry.

"They are a good looking couple," Mario compliments; the princess merely nods in agreement. "They also have a beautiful and spectacular child," Mario again compliments which makes Peach break a small smile. The red clad man walks over to her and takes her hand; "Want to see what Toadsworth is up too," he asks trying to pry her away from the painting and the pain.

"Sure," she replies as she rubs her eyes with her other hand then follows him toward the back of the room where Toadsworth pulls out another black metal pedestal and glass cover from a closet in the back.

"Master Mario may I have the Sapphire Star?" Mario digs into his pocket and pulls out the sparkling, dark blue star then hands it to the mushroom retainer. "Thank you," Toadsworth places the star meticulously in the center of the pillar top then gently sets the glass overtop.

"Uh how is this supposed to keep people from taking the star," Mario asks eyeing the glass display skeptically.

"Well Master Mario this display is now electrically charged so any ruffian touches it will be shocked with a close to fatal charge. Plus the entire apparatus has a magic barrier of the highest caliber, making it impregnable to magic."

"Wow," Mario notes impressed.

"We buy only the best in terms of security," Toadsworth gloats.

Mario rolls his eyes, _That's why you have me, a plumber, as the official hero right? And last time I checked I am not getting paid a dime._ Peach shifts her fingers, reminding him that her hand is in his and he blushes a little, _then again I am doing it for her. I guess he does get the best security for this castle._

"Now that the star is safely locked up, we can enjoy some sunshine in the garden." Toadsworth suggests as he leads them out of the basement storage room.

"Is he ever going to come out of there," Waluigi asks annoyed as he stands with his arms crossed. Daisy is wondering the same thing as she impatiently taps her foot on the ground. They are waiting for Prince Toffee, who has been browsing in the Batadon Bookstore for the past hour, leaving all the other princes and Daisy waiting for him. "I say with ditch the bookworm," Waluigi suggests and the others agree.

"As much as I would like to, I am not explaining how we lost him to his father or to mine," Daisy replies. The princes grumble in frustration, but do not argue with her. They wait for fifteen more minutes before the red clad prince comes out of the shop with five bags in hand. The other suitors glare at him which does not phase him, but as he turns to the flower princess, he begins to recoil in fear. Daisy scowls as the approaches, waiting for him to say anything.

"I'm sorry I must have gotten a little carried away," Toffee apologizes meekly.

"Carried away, carried away! You left us waiting for an hour and fifteen minutes and you call that a little carried away! Do you have any consideration for any of the rest of us at all," she screams causing people to turn around and stare at the group. "Let's just go," she finally orders and the men follow her without question, not wanting to tick her off anymore than she is. Daisy leads them further into town toward Floral Park, One of her favorite places to visit as it as everything one could want in a park. There is a botanical garden, much larger and more diverse than her garden; along with an aquatic garden, full of water lilies, lotuses, and irises in bloom with plenty of other water flowers; a bike path, that she runs on a lot; and plenty of grassy areas with shady trees to sit under. The entrance of the park comes into view and a smile spreads across the princess's face; no matter how bad of a mood she is in beforehand, she always leaves here with a smile. As the group draws closer, she notices a blue sign and stops to read it. _"The Annual Floral Villa Festival coming soon; held here at the park, from the 9__th__-16__th__."_ Daisy's eyes light up with excitement, "I almost forgot! The festival begins next month!" She turns back toward the group of men, "Isn't that exciting?" They blankly stare at her not knowing what she is talking about. "The Floral Villa Festival, where they hold a carnival for a whole week! There are rides, games, and food from each of the four kingdoms of Sarsaraland!" Again there is no response, but Daisy does not mind. "It will be fun, trust me; I attend every year and I haven't been disappointed yet." She winds with a smile then turns back toward the park, "All right well let's go to the botanical garden." She leads the way with the five men in tow.

"_How long have I been at this now? An hour, two maybe? Argh, I'm going to kill him when I get my hands on him_, Luigi thinks angrily as he follows Popple down a hill into a field. His feet are beginning to hurt again and his lungs are hurting from the extended period of running, but that does not bother the plumber as he has learned to cope with this type of pain through all the athletics he participates in. The fact that his chest still feels tender from Popple's last punch is what is truly bothering the younger Mario Brother. It was not any normal punch, Popple hit him square in the chest with two fists and unknowingly, the shadow thief hit the star crystal that was in Luigi's overhaul pocket, sending it slamming into the plumber's chest. The painful impact made Luigi oblivious to the fact that the crystal also flew out of his pocket and into the river which allowed Popple to grab it leading to the chase he is currently in. _I'm so stupid I should have just overpowered him or something instead of getting stuck in this situation._ Luigi sighs mentally as he climbs up another hill and runs down the other side to find sand. _What the?_ The landscape abruptly changes from forest green fields normally found in the Beanbean Kingdom into a barren, sandy desert. _I know there's a gulf that separates Beanbean and its neighbor, but this is ridiculous! How can the land and climate change so fast?_ The green clad man continues to chase the thief for about another half hour until a pyramid comes into view along the horizon. "Where'd that come from," Luigi wonders aloud as he follows Popple toward the triangular structure. As they draw closer, the Mario Brother notices that a large group of tourists are standing in front of the pyramid and several jeeps are parked behind them. The shadow thief grins at the sight as a plan formulates in his mind. He runs to the side of the pyramid then walks into the crowd of tourists and cautiously picks the pocket one of the tour guides. He smirks as he pulls out a set of keys with a plastic tag on the ring with the number seventeen written in marker. Matching the number of the key ring and the jeep, Popple hops into the vehicle then drives away. The tourists gasp at the sight of one of the jeeps being stolen while the driver of the jeep curses aloud. _Crap,_ Luigi stops next to the tourists and catches his breath, _now I'll never catch him!_ He sighs downtrodden as the lead tour guide approaches him.

"You're after that guy right," the spider-like creature guesses.

"Yeah, but there's no way I'll catch him now," Luigi states frustrated.

"I wouldn't be so sure," the spider speculates. "I'm a resident of this kingdom, a gunion, and while I was going through on of the pyramids here I found a couple of items that are not from around here. Maybe they can be of some assistance for both of us. Follow me," the gunion leads Luigi to the back of jeep number eight and opens up the trunk. The plumber's eyes widen as the spider guide pulls out a box with a couple of miscellaneous items inside. "As you can see, odd things," the spider tips the box showing the inside contents: a cape feather, one-up mushroom, and super leaf.

"Wow," Luigi notes impressed. "I can use all of those, but I haven't seen a cape feather or super leaf in forever."

"Really," the spider guide pulls out the feather and is handing it to Luigi when the wind picks up and blows the feather out of his hand. "Son of a…"

"That's okay," Luigi notes as he takes the 1-Up Mushroom and puts it in his pocket, "the super leaf does the same thing basically."

"You mean this thing," the gunion pulls out the red leaf and examines it, "looks pretty useless to me."

Luigi smiles, "You'd be surprised, this is actually one of my favorite power-ups." The green clad plumber takes the leaf from the spider and a bright light flashes causing the guide to turn away when he turns back to the man his mouth drops open in shock. Luigi has donned a brown and black striped raccoon tail and a small pair of triangular ears sticking out of his green hat.

"So the leaf turns you into a human tanooki," the gunion questions. Luigi nods his head, "I never liked tanookis, always causing trouble and digging through my trash. Anyway, you better get going my friend." The spider waves goodbye as Luigi takes to the air and follows the jeep's tracks in the sand.

_Wow, I've never met any one with such vast knowledge of flowers,_ Daisy smiles as she listens to Prince Peasley list off the different types of lotus flowers in the aquatic garden.

"My personal favorite is called Lavender Lady, which is right over there in that corner," he points to a light purplish pink flower sitting among a trio of Lilly pads and a small fountain.

"That is pretty," Daisy notes.

"Yes back home I have an entire pond filled with just that flower."

"I personally like Green Maiden," Daisy interjects.

"Which one is that," Peasley asks curiously.

"It's the white one over there with the pink tips," she points to the opposite corner.

"Oh well that is lovely," Peasley admires as Waluigi rolls his eyes sick of looking at plants. Leaning against the opposite rail of the bean prince and desert princess, Waluigi stares at the pond bored out of his mind.

"Oh what's that over there," Daisy points to a dark purple flower with slender pedals and leaves standing along the edge of the pond."

_Oh come on, when will it end,_ Waluigi groans mentally, _I would rather be watching Wario count his money right now!_

"It looks like an iris," Peasley vaguely answers trying to remember the proper name. "Oh, I know this…I got it! It's called the Louisiana Iris Black Gamecock."

Waluigi bursts out in laughter with tears in his eyes; Daisy and Peasley give him a skeptical look. "Gamecock," Waluigi squeaks still laughing; Daisy and Peasley roll their eyes at his immaturity while Prince Cashmire also begins to giggle.

"Moving on," Daisy commands vexed, the group heads out of the aquatic gardens and exit the park.


	12. Tanookis and Tickling

**Wahoo, another chapter! And this is the chapter I have been looking forward to writing ever since I began the story! Yes, much mushiness! Enjoy reading it as much as I have writing it! **

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it again?**

**Chapter 12: Tanookis and Tickling**

Luigi flies overhead, glad his feet no longer are doing the work, still following the tracks in the sand. _I'll catch up with Popple in no time at this rate,_ Luigi smugly smiles; his smile fades however when fifteen minutes later the sand disappears and bamboo forests appear. _Dang it! Now what?_ Luigi stays his current course for a couple of minutes then notices a patch of bamboo that has fallen over. He flies lower and finds the jeep at the base of the plants, its front tires off the ground as its front end rests on the fallen bamboo. The raccoon powered plumber also notices the keys still in the ignition and pulls them out. _So he's abandoned his vehicle and stuck on foot again._ A grin appears on Luigi's face as he again takes to the sky and flies straight east.

Mario wipes the sweat off his brow as he and Peach step off the green. "I win," Peach exclaims excitedly as she tallies up her final score. "-5 to -3, good try sweetie," she pecks Mario on the cheek.

"I'll get you next time," Mario states smiling, "if it wasn't for the piranha plant at Hole 16, I would have had it."

"Yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses," Peach teases.

Mario puts his hands on his sides defiantly, "Hey now, its true!"

"Sure it is," Peach continues to tease.

"Well then, be that way," Mario jokes. "I might not be able to beat you in golf, but I know a game I always win."

"Really now and that would be what?"

"This one!" Mario steps up beside her and begins to tickle her sides; she begins to laugh uncontrollably as she swats at Mario's hands.

"Mario! That's not fair (giggle) you know I'm extremely ticklish." The tickling and giggling continues until Peach falls to the ground in fits of laughter then Mario stops. He extends his hand and helps her up. "Fine you win that one," she admits and they both laugh. "I guess we should head back before Toadsworth begins to worry." Mario rolls his eyes, but agrees and they head to the castle.

Daisy walks up to the castle gates with the group of suitors in tow and smiles, _Can't wait to get back and relax._ She leads them all into the foyer where her father and grandmother are talking politics; both of them smile as the group enters.

"Have fun," Hyacinth asks.

"Yes, a couple of bumps in the road, but nothing major," Daisy responds with a smile.

"Well now that you're back, you can show them around the castle," Thorne encourages.

"Actually I'm kind of tired, if it is all right I would like to talk with grandma about dresses for the ball then relax until dinner," Daisy asks her father sweetly, hoping that she will get an approval.

"I understand; I'll have Chizer give them a tour," the king declares as the chibibo sighs not wanting another task. "Go ahead mom, see you at dinner," he addresses Hyacinth.

"Thanks Dad," Daisy smiles appreciatively then follows Hyacinth back outside to the courtyard. _Thank goodness I got out of doing another tour,_ Daisy gratefully thinks. _Now I can get this dress situation ironed out and then relax._ The two ladies head over to the edge of the long pond and sit down on the grass. "So the dress, where shall we start the color, cut, or price?"

The scenery changes from the bamboo forest into green fields when he spots a purple man running, _I gotcha now!_ Luigi swoops lower then notices where the thief is headed, a village full of nooks and crannies to hide, people to steal from, and possibly a shop to pawn the crystal he had stolen. Luigi swoops lower just behind and above Popple so he can hear him.

"Just a couple more yards and I can get my money," the shadow thief excitedly states. The plumber squints at him irritably then smirks as he reaches out his arms to end the chase. Two hands fall onto Popple's shoulder, "Hey what the Hell?" Popple looks down nervously as he feels his feet lift off the ground then watches as the ground becomes farther and farther away. He shakes nervously then looks up to figure out how he is flying. "Green?!?"

"That's right I'm back, now if you want a soft landing you better fork over the crystal," Luigi threatens.

"Never," Popple responds defiantly, grasping the crystal tighter.

"You asked for it!" Luigi pulls up and goes higher into the air causing Popple to sweat as he hates heights then the flying plumber dives down heading straight toward the pavement. Popple begins to squirm as the gray concrete comes closer and closer; those on the street move to the side as they see the pair coming toward the ground.

"Pull up! Pull up," Popple yells as they become too close for comfort. Luigi pulls up just before Popple's feet would touch the ground and heads back above the rooftops.

"Now, will you hand over the crystal," Luigi presses.

"No," Popple stubbornly squeaks. "You don't have the guts to do something like that Green. You're a do-gooder and do-gooders can't harm someone like that." Luigi again plunges toward the ground until he reaches is about five feet above ground then he steadies at that altitude. He glides through the street until he sees a wall in front of him, a couple feet in front of that Luigi lets go of Popple. The shadow thief lands face first on the ground and rolls until he slams into the wall. Luigi turns around and lands in front of the crumpled thief. Popple stumbles to his feet, a little dizzy and sore, but amazingly still pretty much intact. "See Green, I knew you couldn't hurt me that bad. You could have dropped me from fifty feet up and you didn't. I'm fine and I still have the crystal," the thief gloats as he holds out the gem with a grin on his face. The green clad man lunges forward, punches Popple in the face then jumps up, and slaps him with his tail, sending the crystal up and over the wall. "Well now look at what you did," Popple exclaims as he wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth. Luigi angrily squints at him, "You know what? You're not worth my time," Popple pompously notes and walks away. Luigi rolls his eyes and sighs frustrated.

Daisy and Hyacinth chuckle at the expense of the princes as Daisy regales her grandmother with the story of her outing in town. "Oh boy, men these days," Hyacinth notes, "crazier than ever." Daisy nods in agreement then Hyacinth becomes serious, "So speaking of the suitors, have you narrowed down the field any?" Daisy rolls her eyes, not wanting to answer the question. "Daisy you should be thinking about this you know," Hyacinth scolds.

"I know and I've got a little bit of an idea," Daisy states hesitantly.

"Well," Hyacinth pushes, "go on."

"Sadly enough, the guy who's looking like the best candidate is Prince Peasley…"

"Really! Why is that," Hyacinth asks trying to divulge more information about Daisy's decision.

"Well, out of all them he's the most normal one," Hyacinth chuckles, "and he's not arrogant, well maybe a little overconfident, but not too terrible like Cashmire. Plus he shares my passion for plants."

"See this good," Hyacinth encourages.

"But he's a bean, isn't that kind of weird," Daisy questions.

"Nonsense, its fine! Just think of the unity between kingdoms; it would be fantastic!"

"You're sounding like Dad, please stop," Daisy pleads dismayed.

"I'm sorry dear, its just I know you were so against this arrangement and now it looks like its going to work out for the best," Hyacinth explains.

"I guess," Daisy notes unsure.

"Why don't you go relax in your garden? It's been a long day," Hyacinth suggests, knowing that Daisy needs sometime alone. Daisy nods as they both get up and head their separate ways. Hyacinth stops at the top of the stairs and turns back to her granddaughter. "Don't feel pressured to do anything you don't want, even if everyone else thinks you should."

Daisy smiles, "Thanks grandma." Hyacinth steps inside while Daisy lingers in the courtyard staring at the pond.

"Stupid Popple and his vengeance, causing me to come all the way out here in the middle of nowhere and lose the crystal," Luigi grumbles as he stares at the tall wall. "At least I have the Super Leaf power-up," he jumps into the air and flies to the top of the wall. Standing on the ledge he looks down into what looks like a small courtyard, around the bottom of the wall are flower beds full of various plants from what he could tell there were tulips, roses, and lilies. He carefully jumps down, avoiding the beds and looks around. _Come on where are you,_ he looks around trying to find the star crystal. _It has to be up here somewhere!_ He searches through the flowerbeds again then he looks up at the only tree around, a cherry blossom tree and spots a glimmer of light. "Ah ha, there you are," Luigi exclaims, rubbing his hands together. "I knew you were up here somewhere," he jumps up and grabs a branch then starts climbing to the top of the tree where the crystal sets.

Daisy shakes her head, breaking her gaze at the pond. "I hate being a princess sometimes, maybe 90 percent of the time," she grumbles, the concerns of her courtship being at the front of her mind. She brushes past the white forsythia bushes and opens up the gate door. Entering the garden, she shuts the gate and immediately heads for the base of her cherry blossom tree. She sits down and leans against the tree trunk, "Why me?" She lets out a sigh then notices pedals falling from the tree, faster than normal. She stands back up and looks up, from underneath the tree branches a tail sticks out.

Luigi finally grabs the crystal and sticks it in his side pocket, _Yes!!! Not going to let you slip out like you did last time!_ He begins to climb back down, cautiously using his feet to feel for foot holes until he reaches half way down the tree. His right foot feels for a branch, but cannot find one. _Oh shoot where is it?_

Daisy glares at the tail hanging there like a piece of fruit while pedals continue to fall. "My tree," Daisy grumbles, "it only blooms once a year and it never seems to last long before all the pedals fall off." She reaches her hands out ready to grab the tail, _It looks like a tanooki tail._ Her face reddens with anger, "Always messing around in my garden and ruining things, well not this time." She grabs a hold of the tail and yells "If there is anything I hate more than choosing princes, its tanookis!"

Luigi feels something grab onto him, "What the?" Suddenly he is falling and lands on his back at the bottom of the tree. "Ow," Luigi whines as he closes his eyes and tears drip out.

"Luigi?" The plumber opens his eyes to find a brunette woman with cerulean eyes looking down at him. Quickly he jumps to his feet as his face flushes with embarrassment.

"Daisy?! What are you doing here? Oh wait," he notices the castle now, "you live here, so of course you're going to be here…I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude," he begins to ramble uncontrollably another sign of nerves getting to him. She brings her hand to her mouth trying not to giggle at his nervous rambling. "Um well, I guess I should go then."

"You know, I really don't like tanookis," Daisy states. Luigi looks at her confused then remembers hearing a woman something about hating tanookis before said woman pulled him out of the tree. "But for some reason this one is just too adorable to not like." She grabs a hold of his left ear and begins to play with it as it she is petting a puppy. Luigi again blushes and his tail begins to wag.

"Oh stop, you're embarrassing me," Luigi says embarrassed as he begins to kick nervously at the grass.

Daisy giggles then she begins playing with the other ear, "Ah, but why, its true!" The squeal of the garden's gate is faint in the background, inaudible to the couple by the tree. Hyacinth steps into the garden and passes by the yellow forsythia bushes heading toward the tree where she knew Daisy would be sitting.

"Daisy sweetie, your dad and I," she begins, but stops as she finds an unusual scene in front of her. A man in green with a tanooki tail and ears being tickled by her granddaughter, both of whom are laughing hysterically.

"Stop it Daisy! How did you know I was ticklish," Luigi asks between fits of laughter. Daisy laughs evilly in response and continues to tickle him. Hyacinth can only smile, it is an odd scene, but she has never seen Daisy so happy before. Her thoughts are interrupted when the gate squeals again.

"Daisy your grandmother and I…What in the world?!?" King Thorne steps in through the gate to find the same odd scene that Hyacinth had found. "Daisy," Thorne yells. Daisy stops and her eyes widen as she spots her father standing there. She begins to blush in embarrassment and steps back which confuses Luigi then he turns around to find an older woman and man standing there. The man has a crown on, which leads the plumber to only one conclusion.

_Uh oh,_ he immediately begins to sweat _this does not look good…_

King Thorne picks up a shovel that Daisy was using the other day and holds it up menacingly in the air. "You! Get away from my daughter and out of my castle!" Luigi jumps back as the king swings the shovel down in front of him.

"Aahh!" Luigi exclaims as the king chases him to the wall; Luigi jumps up and flies onto the top of the wall ledge.

"Get and stay out," Thorne warns as he shakes his fist. Luigi jumps down the other side and disappears.

"Dad," Daisy begins to scorn, but is stopped when he turns around with a fierce glare.

"Who precisely was that?"

"My friend…"

"Friend huh, well young lady do not forget that you are in the middle of choosing your next husband! That means no dilly dallying with strange men! Now as your grandmother and I were coming to say we need your help picking out decorations and food for the upcoming ball. Come inside," Thorne orders crossly then leads the way to the back door of the castle. Daisy drops her head and follows with her grandmother walking beside her.

"Who was that," Hyacinth asks quietly so her son could not hear her.

"My friend Luigi," Daisy sighs disappointed, "he's a really sweet guy I met in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"I see," Hyacinth responds as she mentally notes the name in her head. The three head inside to further discuss the royal ball coming up in a couple of weeks.

"Good way to make a first impression," Luigi notes sarcastically to himself. He sighs depressed feeling like a fool when his stomach grumbles. "All that running around and excitement has worn me out," he looks up to find a street clock that reads 5:00. "Its dinnertime, I better find some food." He heads back into town looking for a place to eat on a low budget.

**Ah the fluffiness! So cute! Please Read and Review!**


	13. New Plans

**Been awhile, sorry but since it took me so long you all get 3 chapters! They are all kind of set up chapters, unfortunately, but 16 will be good! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Oh boy, here we go…I don't own any of the characters or the places. They belong to Nintendo and I have no connection to the company.**

**Chapter 13: New Plans**

Mario and Peach sit at the table eating some of Mon T.'s grilled mushroom sandwiches as Toadsworth drones on about official castle business. "What time is it," Mario asks as he downs the last half of his sandwich.

"Quarter to six Master Mario," Toadsworth answers.

"Got about an hour or two then," Mario calculates as Peach looks at him confused. "That's when Luigi will be getting home."

"Oh right," Peach nods almost forgetting about the train delay. "It should be getting dark soon," she remarks remember how late it is in the year.

"Yeah I would say around 8, the sun will be down," Mario notes. "I guess I should be at home waiting for him around then."

"Mario! Mario," a tinny voice exclaims panicked. The three look up to find Twink floating above them.

"Twink? What's the matter," Peach asks concerned.

"It's the Reflectivus Portal!"

"The what," Mario asks confused.

"The Reflectivus Portal," Twink states again. Mario looks to Peach for an explanation; she shrugs her shoulders, not knowing what the little star is talking about. He then turns to Toadsworth.

"I must admit, I have never heard of such a device," Toadsworth states.

"Uh well, it's an important artifact from a long time ago," Twink asserts, "And it's been stolen!"

"Stolen? By who," Mario asks. Peach and Toadsworth look at him skeptically. "What? I was giving old Bowser a break and not assuming!"

"Well he is our only suspect," Twink notes.

"Why would Bowser want this thing anyway," Mario continues to question.

"According to legend if the key and the portal were to merge then one could pass through the portal and travel anywhere that has a mirror."

"A mirror? How strange indeed," Toadsworth exclaims.

"Yes, if he would be able to find the key then he would be able to go anywhere he wishes including…"

"The castle," Peach gasps.

"King Bowsie is getting smarter and slicker isn't he," Mario notes, not expecting this kind of plan from the Koopa King. "So we need to get the mirror back or get the key, which would be easier?"

"Uh see that is the problem, we don't know where the key is," Twink confesses.

"How is that possible," Peach asks.

"Well it is a very old artifact and we all don't know the entirety of the legend. Very few do."

"Great," Mario notes cheerfully, everyone stares at him confused. "If no one can figure out where the key is then there is nothing to worry about right?"

Kammy Koopa smirks as she pours over her book reading up for possible clues of the key's location, but it is not the book that has her smiling. She listens blissfully as the bellowing of King Bowser echoes up the stairs from the throne room. "What was I thinking when I entrusted you to come up with a plan to claim Princess Toadstool? You are useless!"

"But King Bowser, let me explain," the magikoopa pleads.

"NO! I don't want to hear it! I already know what you are going to say! Its all because of that stupid plumber isn't it?!? I HATE THAT PLUMBER!"

"Actually it was both of them sir," Kamek meekly corrects.

"Excuse me? Did you say something," Bowser growls.

"Both of the plumbers had a hand in our defeat sir," Kamek shrinks back.

"You mean to tell me that the other plumber beat you as well?" Kamek nods, "so you are not just useless but TOTALLY USELESS!" Kamek gulps, "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" The magikoopa dashes out of the throne room and closes the door behind him leaving the Koopa King to stew. "I HATE PLUMBERS!!!"

Kammy snickers to herself, _Who's the better magikoopa now Kamek? I believe that's me._ She lets out an evil laugh slip out then turns back to her book; _Now back to work._ She rereads the same story once again, _Where in the world would I find a ruling kingdom that reigns over four individual kingdoms! This is so frustrating!_ Kammy stares out her window trying to figure out where to go when her musings are interrupted.

"KAMMY GET DOWN HERE!" Kammy cannot help, but smile.

"My, my, someone is in a grouchy mood; maybe because he should have listened to the old windbag instead of the idiot." She slowly makes her way to the throne room, "Yes my nastiness?"

"Kammy I was apparently wrong about our associate Kamek; he has failed me."

"So I predicted," Kammy smugly notes.

"Yeah well don't get too cocky, but I need to fall back upon your plan," Bowser unwillingly admits.

"Well, your wicked majesty I have completed half of my plan as I now possess the Reflectivus Portal," Kammy informs.

"Impressive, you were able to achieve that on your own without the help of troops? You are more competent than that failure Kamek," Bowser compliments.

"Yes your highness, the only problem is locating the key and the one who can use it," Kammy admits. "The only other situation to deal with is the pact between those in the portal and ourselves."

"People in the portal," Bowser restates confused.

"Yes your vileness highness, there is a world behind the portal with its own inhabitants. I must make contact before the portal is opened so that we do not suffer any mishaps," Kammy warns.

"Precaution, good thinking," Bowser exclaims. "Continue on with your work," the Koopa King commands as he waves her away.

"Yes your majesty." She heads back up to her study to research how to contact the inhabitants of the portal.

Daisy sits at the table, barely touching her fish fillet marinated in lemon pepper sauce, as she listens to her father talk about the upcoming ball. "I was hoping to have a dinner beforehand, so I think we should have some food that reflects our kingdom Chai. Daisy are you listening?"

"Yes sorry, I think that's a great idea," Daisy agrees in a monotone voice.

"Well any suggestions for dishes," Thorne pushes on.

"I think something like a chicken stir-fry with a light garlic sauce would be delectable," Hyacinth interjects.

"Yes that would be a grand idea," Thorne agrees, "and we could have wontons served for an appetizer." The king furiously writes down the idea on a pad of paper, "now what to serve for the main course, something more substantial like Black Pepper Chicken Curry and for desert White Mooncake."

"What about those who like fish? We are sort of known for our fish dishes," Hyacinth again interjects.

"Well then we will have our snapper drizzled in honey chili sauce; that should take care of the fish. For our sides there will be rice and egg drop soup; that should take care of the menu. Excellent, now we can talk about decorations," Thorne states transitioning to the next order of business. Daisy rolls her eyes and Hyacinth notices giving her a reason to intervene.

"Son, I think we should wait until tomorrow to talk about decorations. Daisy is tired from her long day and I need to run into town," she asserts.

"Run into town at this hour, why?" King Thorne questions.

"To see my friend Madeline, a former queen can have a social life too," she defends.

"Sorry mom, all right I guess we can postpone until tomorrow. See everyone tomorrow," King Thorne says as he leaves with Daisy following him to the stairs. Hyacinth grabs her coat and heads out into town.

Luigi stares out the window of the café watching the sky darken little by little as the sun slowly drifts toward the horizon. "Here's your tea and soup sir," a chibibo server slides the platter onto the table then walks away to service another table. Luigi grabs a sugar packet and pours it into his tea cup. As he stirs to get the sugar to dissolve in the liquid, he inhales deeply enjoying the smell.

_Can't find any red tea in the Mushroom Kingdom; better enjoy it while I can._ He takes a large gulp and smiles as the tea soothes his throat. His attention then turns to the egg drop soup her ordered which comes with a side of crunchy chow mein noodles. The plumber likes the noodles both in the soup and plain, so he pours half of the plate into his soup bowl and leaves the other half to munch on. His raccoon ears perk when the bell of the door rings, letting the servers know another customer has walked inside.

Hyacinth walks up to the quaint little house with blue trim and white stone then knocks on the wooden door. An elderly nobokon with a blue shell appears at the door, "Hyacinth! I didn't expect to see you tonight, what are you doing out here so late?"

"I need your help with something," Hyacinth responds mysteriously with a grin.

"Oh I know that grin! What kind of mischief are we getting into this time," Madeline asks suspiciously with a hint of intrigue.

"I will explain on the way," Hyacinth says as she waves her friend to follow.

"Where are we going," Madeline asks as she grabs a crème colored shawl and follows the former queen into town.

"To the Gira's Grill of course," the woman in light purple states as she fixes her matching hat. "They have the best plum wine around, come on." The two ladies walk down Main Street and turn into the restaurant.

As they enter a bell rings and a waiter comes to their aid, "Would you ladies like a both or a table?"

"Booth please," Madeline answers, preferring the softer padding of the benches compared to the chairs.

"If you would follow me, I will show you to your table," the waiter instructs then leads them toward the back and sits them at a more secluded table away from the rowdy customers at the bar. Each of the women sits down facing each other then Madeline places her hands on the table.

"Alright Hyacinth, what is this venture you need my help with," Madeline asks eagerly, the curiosity getting the best of her.

"Well it has to do with my granddaughter Daisy," Hyacinth begins.

"Whoa whoa, I hope you are not planning to trick her into doing something," Madeline wishes worried about Hyacinth's intentions. "She a strong headed girl, like someone I know, and I don't think she would be very happy if you did something like that."

"No Madeline, I am merely going to present another option," the former queen assures vaguely; "an option that I am pretty sure she will like."

"Oh boy why don't I like the sound of this? Another option to what if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well another option to her father's grand plan," Hyacinth answers.

"You mean the prince thing that she is so upset about," Madeline asks.

"Exactly that, remember how I told you that ever since Thorne mentioned his grand plan she has been acting differently?"

"Yes I remember; you were very worried about her," the nobokon recalls.

"Today I saw that Daisy spark," Madeline gives her friend a confused look, "that energetic joyful spirit that she has."

"Really," the nobokon notes shocked, "and what exactly triggered this reemergence of spirit?"

"Not a what, a who," Hyacinth states smirking.

"Ooo did one of those princes finally woo our little Daisy," Madeline asks giddy.

"No."

"What?"

"Let me explain," Hyacinth backtracks, "today after she got back from taking the courtiers on a tour of the villa we went and talked in the backyard about her dress for the upcoming ball, which we are picking out on Monday I expect you to be there." Madeline nods and Hyacinth continues. "Anyway of course I asked if she had narrowed down the field any in regards to the princes and she was hesitant, but said that she liked Prince Peasley."

"Of the Beanbean Kingdom? That's not a bad match, even if he is a bean."

"Yes she noted that the species difference disturbed her, but she seemed depressed when she talked to me about it, so I let her go into her garden to relax while I headed back inside. A couple of minutes later, my son comes up to me and asks me where Daisy is and I told him she was in the garden. He tells me that he wished to discuss the menu for the ball as he likes to plan everything five years in advance, so I head back out to get Daisy and when I walk into the garden I find the oddest thing I have ever seen."

"May I take your orders madams," the waiter interrupts.

"Oh uh just some plum wine and wontons," Madeline orders for them and sends the waiter away. "Go on, you have me on edge here."

"Well I find Daisy tickling this guy dressed in green," Hyacinth recalls.

"What some strange person in her garden?!? Why in the world would she do something like that with a stranger," Madeline questions befuddled.

"Oh no, they know each other. The odd part is he had a tanooki tail and ears, very strange…"

"Wait she knows him, how?"

"I don't know; all she told me was his name is Luigi and they are 'friends'," Hyacinth air quotes.

"Right because you dally with 'friends'," Madeline responds and they both laugh.

"You want to know what is really funny," Hyacinth continues, "my son followed me into the garden and chased the poor guy away with a shovel!"

"A shovel! Ha, that's hilarious! Geez reminds me of something your dad would do if he caught you and Walt together."

"Yeah," Hyacinth agrees recalling the many times her father chased off her husband while they were courting one another. "Ah, the old days, good times."

"Yes, they were," Madeline agrees. "She reminds me a lot of you when we were younger, your granddaughter." Hyacinth nods then the food comes to the table, a large bowl of wontons with two small bowls of duck sauce and a bottle of plum wine accompanied with two small glasses.

"Enjoy ladies," the waiter says before he again disappears. Madeline opens the bottle and pours the wine as the women continue to reminisce about the days pass.

Luigi brings the bowl up to his lips, sipping the last of the soup from the bowl then sets it back down. _Man that was good, not exactly enough to fill my stomach, but I don't have much more money. At least I still have these noodles still and tea refills are free, thank goodness!_ Luigi looks around for the waiter, but does not see him so he turns back to the window and watches the people on the street pass by.

Twenty minutes later, Madeline and Hyacinth are laughing uncontrollably; to the point where Madeline is crying. "So now that we've traveled down memory lane once again," Madeline redirects; "What exactly did you have planned for Daisy?"

"What? Oh yeah, I just need you to keep an eye out for this guy; I need to talk to him," Hyacinth answers still giggling.

"Okay, so a guy in green with a tanooki tail and ears, shouldn't be too hard to find," Madeline notes and both of them giggle. "Alright well, I got to find the ladies' room before I burst!"

"Plum wine always goes through you like water," Hyacinth observes. "I never understood why that is…"

"Eh, who knows? Anyway, stay here until I get back; don't want you stumbling off and making a fool of yourself," Madeline notes and again the former queen and nobokon laugh, obviously a little tipsy. Madeline makes her way through the restaurant trying to avoid bumping into people, but is not very successful. She manages to not fall over until a small chibibo waiter walks out in front of her; she bumps into him and falls toward a booth where she grabs onto the edge of the bench and pushes herself up.

"Are you alright," a man asks her. She brings her head up to see a man in blue overhauls sitting at the booth she had landed on.

"Oh yes, sorry to disturb you," she apologizes then moves on toward the bathroom. Before entering she turns back around and looks at the man again, his back is to her and she notices a pair of small black ears. _Uh strange, why would a man have two sets of ears_, she ponders as she enters the restroom. Five minutes later, the blue shelled nobokon emerges from the bathroom and walks back the way she came. Again she looks at the man in the booth, noticing this time he is wearing a green shirt and hat. She looks away as she gets closer and as she walks up beside him almost trips once more.

"Oh I'm so sorry," the man apologizes as he pulls her back up, "don't know how to keep my tail in my own booth."

"That's all right," Madeline shrugs off the fall and continues back to her table. As she approaches the table and Hyacinth, the nobokon begins to wonder about the odd man. _Now wait, wait! Oh!_ She quickly sits down and grabs Hyacinth's hand trying to get her attention.

"What's wrong Madeline," Hyacinth asks still a little bubbly, but slowly calming down.

"The guy Hyacinth," the blue shelled nobokon states vaguely.

"What guy?"

"The weird guy you saw today, he's here!"

"Oh Madeline, stop pulling my leg," Hyacinth waves her hand in disbelief.

"I'm serious, he's right over there," Madeline nods her head back. "If you don't believe me, look for yourself!" Hyacinth leans over the table as Madeline leans back until Hyacinth spots Luigi sitting at the window booth sipping on a cup of tea.

"Oh my," Hyacinth exclaims. "This is excellent! Now we just have to get his attention…"

"And how exactly are we going to do that?"

"How else does a pair of women get a guy's attention," an evil smile spreads across Hyacinth's face.

_I should probably get going, it's getting late and I have a long journey back. Stupid train,_ Luigi thinks irked as he searches for a clock to figure out the time. As he looks around his waiter comes up to the table with a glass full of wine.

"Sir this is for you," the chibibo informs the green clad plumber.

"But I didn't order any wine," Luigi states confused.

"It is complements of the ladies in the back," the waiter replies and Luigi looks toward the back of the restaurant to see two elderly woman giggling. "I hope you are not desperate sir, because frankly at this point I would run." The waiter walks away as Luigi shakes his head in disbelief.

_Am I really getting hit on by old ladies? Dear lord I've got to get back home!_ He again glances to the back of the restaurant, at the ladies who paid for the drink wanting a closer look. One of them appears to be some sort of koopa with a blue bomb on its back while the other one looks human dressed in light purple. _She looks familiar for some reason…_ As he spots her, the woman in purple points to him then curls her finger back signaling him to come back to their table. Luigi gulps unsure what to do; as he hesitates the woman becomes impatient and waves him back frenetically. The green clad plumber gets up from his booth and walks guardedly up to the table. "Do I know you?"

"Sit," the woman commands and Luigi immediately plops down onto the bench, warily looking at the two sitting on the other side of the table.

"This isn't some cruel joke you two are playing on me is it?"

"No Luigi, we are just here to offer some help," the woman in purple assures. The younger Mario Brother's eyes widen in shock as she says his name. "Yes I know who you are, somewhat," she replies to his look of shock. "We have a mutual friend young lad."

"We do," Luigi asks confused.

"My granddaughter, Daisy Floral," she explains. Beads of sweat form on his head as he recalls where he had seen her.

"I'm so sorry about today; I didn't mean to trespass or anything," he apologizes figuring that is what she wanted to discuss.

"Don't be sorry," she notes nonchalantly causing him to become more confused. "I haven't heard her laugh that hard for the past week! That's why I'm giving you this," she pulls out a small yellow envelope and hands it to him. He carefully opens it, trying not to rip the envelope too badly, and pulls out a folded white card. As he opens the card the words 'You are cordially invited' pop out at him and looks back up to the woman. "This is a personal invitation from me to a formal ball that the castle is hosting at the end of the month. All the information you need is on the card." He reads further down to find the date and location, like she said. 'August 29th, 8:00PM at Floral Castle,' Luigi scratches his head contemplating if he had anything to do that day, other than pay the water bill. At the bottom was the woman's signature in gold script.

"Lady Hyacinth," Luigi reads aloud then looks up at the former queen.

"Correct, oh where are my manners? This is my friend Madeline," she waves her hand toward the nobokon.

Luigi shakes her hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure is all mine young man," Madeline replies then turns to Hyacinth. "What about the other things? When should we have him meet us?"

"What others things," Luigi asks curiously.

"Well we are going to have to do some prep work before the ball," Hyacinth explains. "For example as for attire, we are going to have to get you fitted for a tux."

"But I have a suit," Luigi contests.

"No man wears a normal suit to a royal ball, trust us this will be better," Madeline interjects.

"But I can't afford to buy a tuxedo," Luigi discloses and the two ladies laugh.

"Don't worry about money honey; I've got it covered," Hyacinth assures.

"Okay…."

"Now the problem will be that tail and those ears," Madeline observes.

"Yes that will be a concern, maybe he could wear a top hat or something," Hyacinth deliberates.

Luigi chuckles, "This is just a power-up." The women look at him skeptically, "I can get rid of this anytime I want." Luigi concentrates and a bright light flashes, blinding the elderly women when the light fades a normal Luigi sits in front of them. The super leaf powers transfer back in their original form as the red leaf flitters down onto the table.

"Full of surprises aren't you," the nobokon observes and Luigi smiles. "Solves that problem, what next?"

"Well then there is the dancing," Hyacinth continues down the list. Luigi grimaces as he is somewhat clumsy. "What? What is that face for?"

"Uh, I'm just not a good dancer," Luigi admits as he looks at the table.

"That is why you are going to take lessons," Hyacinth orders.

"Lessons? From who," Luigi asks not liking the sound of this plan.

"There is a bumpty called Dippen that lives near Shiver City, visit him and mention that I sent you, he'll know what to do." Luigi nods as he tries to commit that to memory. "Also back to wardrobe, you will need to come back and visit two nights before the ball so that we can take you to my personal tailor. That's all that needs to be taken care of," Hyacinth finishes.

"Okay I think I can handle that," Luigi notes uneasily; "I just have question." The former queen nods encouraging to him to go on. "Why are you doing this? I mean, why would you help me get into this ball and why would you want to? "

"You'll see in due time," Hyacinth answers vaguely. "Now we must be going," she notes as she and her friend stand. "We will see you in a couple of weeks, have a good night." The ladies disappear out the door, leaving Luigi sitting in the booth more confused than before.


	14. Chilly Reception

**Another chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah: I don't own any of this!**

**Chapter 14: Chilly Reception**

In the keep, Kammy Koopa prepares for her first encounter with the people of the Reflectivus Portal. Being the largest room in the castle, Kammy chooses the keep so she could spread her materials out and not be disturbed as the keep is also the least used room within the castle. Kammy starts out by unrolling a scroll that contains the words needed to temporarily break the seal on the mirror in order to communicate with the inhabitants. As she opens it, however; there are no words visible; just blank parchment. "Bagh! Stupid concealment spell, why do people have to make this so difficult," Kammy complains as she pulls out a brown book from the huge stack she dragged up earlier. She pries it open and quickly skims through until she finds the counter spell to the precautionary action taken by the mystic responsible for the portal's existence. "Ah no sweat," Kammy mumbles the words to herself as she swings her wand in the air then points it to the blank scroll. A blue beam spits out of the ruby jewel up top of Kammy's wand and spills onto the scroll. Leaving the book, the magikoopa once again opens up the scroll; this time the words appear as if a wave of water is dripping down and removing the substance that covers them. Kammy smirks then turns her attention to the white mirror positioned near the edge of the room close to the windows. She once again raises her wand and reads the first paragraph. A splurge of purple magic is expelled from her wand and slams into the mirror's surface, colliding with the sound of thunder crashing into the ground. The witch continues reading the second paragraph; an explosion of yellow energy bursts out of the wand and into glassy surface sounding like thin fragile ice cracking under pressure. Finally she reads the final paragraph and with these words a large ball of red magic emulating the look of fire grows from the tip of the wand and shoots toward the mirror. The clash of opposing magic forces sound as if glass is giving way, as the red fire magic pushes through the invisible barrier the sound becomes louder until finally the shield shatters like glass to a window. Kammy rubs her hands together rejoicing in her victory then addresses the mirror. "You who live in the mirror step up and speak as you are free to now!" Kammy attentively watches the reflective glass waiting for any signs of life to appear. Out of the bottom corner, a circular head peeks out of the glass. Kammy watches as the figure steps up out of the corner, revealing its full form. The creature possesses an imperfect human form made of a mass of hourglass shapes; its short legs, arms and torso are all hourglass shapes with the exception of the head which is a perfect circle. The color of the creature is multicolored as the every color swirls continuously on its body like the surface of a bubble shining in the sun. The creature has it has no joints or appendages such as fingers and toes; it only has a mouth and black eyes that squint in suspicion at the magikoopa.

"What do you want with us koopa woman," it asks in a gruff voice.

"I wish to make a proposition with your leader," Kammy responds unwavering. The undefined creature squints again and turns away from the witch then disappears from sight. Kammy questioningly raises her eyebrow wondering if the creature is actually going to fulfill her request. Moments later a new form appears accompanied by two creatures similar to the first, but proportioned differently. The new form however is recognizable as a human man with the exception that the skin on the fingers has succumbed to the multicolor tone of the other creatures. His clothes consist of a black tunic and pants with crimson robes hanging over his shoulders and chest. White tights peer out from the pant legs and are visible until they disappear into his black shoes. A silver crown sits upon his head, six rubies adorning it.

"What do you wish to propose crone? I have little patience with woman of the outside world," the man sneers with intolerance.

"I understand why you feel that way your highness; being betrayed by the one you love must be excruciatingly painful to live with especially this long. I wish to give you a chance to exact vengeance," Kammy offers trying to entice him into an agreement.

"I'm listening," the prince states intrigued.

"Well if you would allow my master and I to use your world as shortcut per say so that we can carry out our plans; we in return will give you the descendant of your former love's family line to do with whatever you wish." The prince scratches his chin in thought as the idea is very tempting; however, he did not wish to be fooled twice.

"How will I know that you have brought the right one," the prince asks.

"Only a female descendent can initially open the portal then any person of that lineage or anybody who possesses the key can pass through," Kammy explains.

"So you are saying that once you find the key and a descendent you will pass through with them then turn them over to me while you walk away with the key?"

"Yes sir," Kammy answers, "but there is more; if you also agree to let us have access anytime we wish my king and I will give you the key so you may leave the Reflectivus Portal whenever you wish."

"Consider your proposition accepted then," the prince proclaims as the thought of leaving the world within the mirror too alluring to resist.

"Much obliged your highness," Kammy says graciously as the prince turns to leave. "One last question," Kammy interjects, "where precisely might we find the kingdom of your beloved?"

"It lies on the southeastern coast of the continent nearby my homeland, the island of Badhr." That is the last thing the prince says before disappearing as the magical shield from before rematerializes.

Kammy smirks as she begins to pack up her books, _Time for more research I think._ She grabs her books and heads back to her tower.

Luigi wonders north, trying to find the train station, as he ponders over the odd circumstances he has landed in. _I still understand exactly what is going on; I mean I can't possibly see the logic in me attending a ball in a foreign kingdom! Except for the fact that Daisy will be there, but she is busy with those courters or whatever they are called. I don't have need to be there, but I guess I'm going. I mean it is a free meal and of course seeing Daisy is a big draw…_Luigi reasons as he spots a sign with a train ahead of him. "Yes," he exclaims excitedly as he runs up to the sign. It has an arrow pointing to the left, so he heads in that direction. Just as the station comes into sight, a bright light comes out of no where and blinds him then everything turns black. Light returns slowly and the plumber finds himself face down, the only thing he sees the color maroon. "Whoa," he mummers then props himself up onto his elbows changing his view. The mysterious red color now reveals itself to be the color of a carpet or rug with yellow trim. _I know this carpet…_ Luigi brings his head up to find himself in the foyer of the princess's castle. "Oh," he says aloud in surprise; "how did I get here?"

"Master Luigi! You have returned," Toadsworth exclaims as he exits the kitchen with Mario and Peach following behind.

"Weegie!" Mario runs up to him and grabs his neck, bringing down his head, so he could give his brother a noogie then lets him go. "Where have you been huh," Mario asks as he gives his brother a hug. "Been worried about ya."

"Yeah it was an interesting trip to say the least," Luigi states. "But more importantly," he digs into his side pocket and brings out the star crystal, "I have this."

"Good show Master Luigi," Toadsworth compliments, "I will go lock this up right away." The elderly toad consult takes the star crystal and heads down to the basement toward the vault.

"Well now that is all settled, what time is it? I'm exhausted," Luigi asks as he yawns.

"About nine o'clock," Mario suggests. "Still kind of early isn't it?"

"No, no its not," Luigi disputes, "after the day I've had it is time for some sleep."

"Didn't you sleep on your way back on the train," Mario asks confused.

"This morning until 7, I didn't get to come back the rest of the way on train." Peach and Mario look at him confused. "I'll explain tomorrow," Luigi promises, "but right now I just want to go to bed."

"You can crash here tonight if you wish," Peach offers; Luigi gladly accepts not caring where the bed is, but that there is one. The princess guides him to one of the many guest rooms and he turns in for the night.

The next morning he wakes up to the smell of omelets, _Peach must be cooking again._ He smiles anticipating a great meal. He rushes down stairs and finds everyone around the kitchen table excluding Peach who is standing at the stove.

"Okay, one omelet with cheese, bacon, and onions for Mario," the princess calls out as she scoops up the mass of eggs with her spatula and places it on a plate for the red clad hero.

"Thank you Peachy," Mario notes gratefully then pecks Peach on the cheek.

"Anytime," she says and smiles. "What do you want Toadsworth?"

"Oh just some mushrooms and cheese would be excellent my dear princess," the elder mushroom answers.

"Coming right up," she turns to confirm Toadsworth's order and spots Luigi coming in. "Hey there sleepy, I'll make you some eggs too after I'm done with Toadsworth's," she offers.

"Thanks," Luigi answers as he sits down across from Mario.

"So, are you going to fill me in on your trip now," Mario asks between bites. Luigi tells them about his time at WarioWare Inc., the trouble with the train, and his chase after Popple, but leaves out the rest not wishing to be embarrassed. "Wow, and I thought I had a heck of a time getting the Sapphire Star." The group finishes their breakfast and Mario is the first to suggest an activity, "I feel like going to the batting cages; anybody interested?" Peach volunteers, but Toadsworth and Luigi decline.

"I have duties to attend to, but thank you anyway Master Mario," Toadsworth explains.

"Actually I was going to go into town and check on people like Chanterelle, so no thanks," Luigi declines.

"What? You just get back and already you want to leave again," Mario asks.

"Well it's not like that I just," Luigi tries to explain as Mario begins to laugh.

"I'm just pulling your leg Weegie," Mario assures. "Go ahead we'll meet up with you later."

"Oh okay, see you guys later!" Luigi gets up from the table and exits the castle heading toward town. As he steps outside of the castle gates and heads into the center of town then after making sure no one is paying attention hops down into the sewers where he takes another warp pipe to Shiver City. He pops out of the pipe into a snow covered village where bumpties thrive; his teeth begin to chatter within seconds of jumping out of the pipe. _I better hurry and find this Dippen person before I become an icicle._ He rushes up to the Toad House on his right.

"Welcome to the Toad House where our slogan is…hey wait, you're not Mario," the little toad notices.

"Yeah I'm his brother," Luigi answers permissively, "Anyway do you know where a Dippen lives per chance? He's a bumpty, that's all I know."

"You mean the dance teacher," the toad asks skeptically.

"Yeah him," Luigi nods.

"If you turn right out of this house and go straight down the street past the five clustered buildings there is a sixth one a little further up the road, that's where he lives."

"Thanks for your help!" Luigi opens the door and faces the cold once more trudging through the snow to a larger building on the outskirts of town. He quickly steps inside trying to get relief from the cold. _Man, you're only out there for a couple of minutes and you start to get frostbite._

"May I help you," a purple penguin asks suspicious of Luigi.

"Uh I'm here to see Dippen?"

"What about," the penguin asks curtly.

"Lessons, Hyacinth sent me," the plumber quickly answers nervously.

"Well why didn't you say so? Hello, I'm Dippen," the little penguin creature holds out his wing for Luigi to shake.

"I'm Luigi."

"Yes, so how much experience do you have," the purple bumpty asks.

"Uh well I can waltz, done that a couple of times, and that's about it really…"

"That's a good start, actually you are farther ahead then I expected. Well, we will sharpen up those skills then start teaching you the Bolero."

"Excuse me what? What is Bolero," Luigi asks puzzled.

"The Bolero, didn't Hyacinth tell you? Oh she is such a hoot, keeping secrets like that; she wants me to teach that one for some reason, don't know exactly why…"

Luigi sighs, _Why is this woman so freaking mysterious all the time? Can't she just explain her madness instead of leaving me out on a limb?_

"Anyway, now let's get started! Rhian come on out here," Dippen yells toward the back and a woman with blue/black hair emerges.

"What?"

"We need to get this man," pointing to Luigi, "in tiptop dancing shape! He also has to learn the Bolero."

"Oh great the Bolero," she exclaims excitedly.

"Yes and since you are the best teacher I got; I want you to teach him," Dippen requests.

"Oh you're too generous, but sure I'll teach him! How exciting my first solo student!"

_Oh boy,_ Luigi thinks worried _I hope she doesn't go too hard on me!_

"All right sir, come with me," she instructs, leading Luigi to a practice room. She rummages through the closet and brings out a cd player. Placing it on the floor, she presses play then turns back to Luigi. "First let's see how good you are with the waltz." He takes her hand and places the other on her waist and begins the steps; easy to remember for him as it is a dance with a beat that goes 1-2-3 and repeats just as the steps. The song ends, they bow, and she gives her assessment. "That was really good I could tell you've done it before. The only thing is that you didn't want to look me in the eye!" He blushes, "One of those shy ones aren't you? Well we are going to have to fix that because it is vital to keep your head up and eyes forward." Luigi nods and mentally notes her statement as something he needs to work on. "Well, I don't want to dive into the Bolero on the first day, so we are going to continue with the waltz and hopefully break you of your eye problem. Ready for another dance?"

"Sure," he answers confidently and again takes her hand. They practice for another couple of hours before calling it a day.

"All right so we are meeting everyday," she informs, "and tomorrow we will start learning the basics of the Bolero."

"Okay," Luigi agrees nervously, but also a little excited.

"Great so I will see you tomorrow," she holds out her hand for a shake and Luigi takes it.

"Yes you will thank you so much for your help."

"No problem, have a good day Luigi," she smiles and waves him good-bye. He braves the cold once more to journey back to the warp pipe then warps back to the sewers. After popping out of the pipe, he runs to the batting cages hoping he had not missed Mario and Peach.

"Oh hey," Peach greets as she spots him running up to the cage.

"Hi," he replies out of breath, "what did I miss?"

"Well we were actually getting ready to leave," Peach admits. "Mario is on his last set of throws."

"Oh okay," Luigi gasps, "that's fine. Are you guys headed back to the castle then?"

"Not yet," Peach smirks, "actually we were going to grab some ice cream. Want to come along?"

"Sure," Luigi answers with a forced smile. _I just got away from the snow and ice! Dang it, maybe they serve milkshakes too…I hope._

Mario emerges from the cages, "Almost a perfect run too! Just missed that third ball, I never liked screwballs. Hey Luigi, you made it just in time! How does ice cream sound?"

Luigi chuckles, "Yeah let's go." The trio head out to the docks where a local vender has set up a stand/cart and grab some ice cream before heading back to the castle.


	15. Formal Wear

**I find this one humorous, but that's just me!**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing in here!**

**Chapter 15: Formal Wear**

A week and a half passes, with the Floral Ball two days away, everyone in the castle begins to frantically prepare for the event. The castle staff begins to create the decorations and pin them up while the host gathers all the suitors together in the throne room. _What now?_ Waluigi thinks irked, hoping it is not more etiquette lessons. _Hate those things; this is how you fold a napkin and this is how you eat a piece of lettuce. Bah, waste of time!_ He and the princes stand in front of the throne with King Floral looking down upon them.

"Today we are going to pick up your attire and fit them," Thorne announces, "Hopefully no one will need too many touchups." The king then turns to Chizer, once again the vizier looks unhappy. "Chizer will be escorting you as I oversee the decorations. Enjoy," Thorne notes before walking away toward the foyer.

_Oh joy, can't wait,_ the purple clad Wario Brother thinks sarcastically. He looks over to his 'competition' and laughs to himself. _This is pathetic! None of these bozos have any character or ambition! I will make them the laughing stocks of their kingdoms at this stupid ball as we all know I have great moves!_ He smirks at the thought then follows the chibibo and the rest of the courters to the tailor shop. Prince Cashmire is the first to try on his suit at the shop so Waluigi takes a seat and awaits his turn, enjoying mentally ridiculing the others as they come out in their tuxedos. Finally it comes to his turn and he disappears behind the dressing room curtain. After putting on his tuxedo, he confidently steps out in his black pinstripe tux complete with a trademark purple shirt and black tie. "Yeh ha, Waluigi's the best. Look at how sharp I look in this, no princess could resist my in this, even Daisy."

"Well it is a perfect fit," the store's tailor notes, "Should I hang it in a bag for you?"

"Yes," Waluigi answers and the tailor hangs the tuxedo into a bag just like the others as none of the suits are in need of adulterations. The gentlemen pay for their suits via a check from the king and head back toward the castle.

Meanwhile, another tailor is checking their work on Daisy's dress as she wears it for them in front of a three sided mirror. "Spin, spin," the woman tailor orders frantically; Daisy spins for her and she scratches her chin in thought. "Just need one more adulteration in the back and we should be set." The frantic woman quickly threads a needle and goes to work on the back of the dress as Daisy admires the turquoise dress in the mirror.

"Grandma it's perfect! I can't wait to wear this, it's so beautiful," she exclaims. "I hope it didn't cost an arm and leg."

"Nonsense, it was a very decent price," Hyacinth reassures with a smile.

"All done," the tailor states and Daisy hops down in front of the mirror admiring the dress again. The dress is cut just above the chest with two straps that are connected to the middle of the top. The thin straps create a v shape as they wrap around to the back at the base of her neck and then cross in the middle of her back before connecting to the back of the dress near her lower back.

"You don't think it is too revealing with it being backless do you," the princess asks Hyacinth.

"Oh no," Hyacinth answers nonchalantly.

"You don't think dad will mind?"

"Well, that is tricky," Hyacinth pauses, "He is your father." She quickly looks around the shop and notices a sheer turquoise wrap on one of the mannequins. The pink clad woman grabs it then hands it to Daisy. "Try wrapping that around your back and have the ends dangle from your arms, like those women you see in the older films that I watch." The desert princess does as instructed and the scarf covers her lower back; "There now you should have no problems, just remember where you leave it when you head to the dance floor." The former queen looks up at the store's clock on the opposite wall and it reads 12:22. "We should get back soon," she hints toward her granddaughter.

"All right, I'll go change and we can head back," Daisy states as she disappears behind the dressing room curtain. Hyacinth walks up to the counter to pay, writing a check for Daisy's outfit.

"Thank you your ladyship," the shop keeper notes graciously. "I will see you again at four correct?'

"Yes, but not so loud," Hyacinth whispers while shushing the man behind the counter.

"Sorry ma'am," he apologizes, "but I wanted to remind you."

"I appreciate it," Hyacinth quickly replies as Daisy steps out from behind the curtain and walks up to the counter. The tailor carefully hangs the dress and shawl then places a bag over it and hands it back.

"Have a wonderful day," the shop keeper waves as the royal women walk out the door. Daisy carefully carries her dress as she walks along side her grandmother watching each step she takes. She takes a chance to glance up at one of the street clocks to check the time then turns to Hyacinth.

"So what is this appointment you have at 3:00 that is so pressing," the floral princess curiously asks.

"I'm meeting up with Madeline for tea, so we can discuss her outfit for the ball," Hyacinth responds convincingly.

"Oh," she looks up at the castle gates as they enter the castle grounds and head for their respective rooms. "Well have fun if I don't see you before you leave," Daisy notes as she opens her bedroom door.

"I will; enjoy your dance lesson," Hyacinth reminds.

"Oh crap, I'm going to be late!" The desert princess exclaims as she runs into her room and gingerly places the dress on her bed then runs back out and toward the stairs. "Bye!" Hyacinth giggles as Daisy flies down the stairs awkwardly in heels creating a lot of noise then the former queen heads to her own room in order to prepare for another trip out to the tailor shop.

Mario and Peach walk hand and hand down the dirt road toward Mario's house as he forgot to grab his tool this morning so he can fix the kitchen sink in the castle. The pipe keeps backing up and water is beginning to leak underneath in the cabinet. They approach the door and Mario knocks, expecting Luigi to answer, but has no such luck. He knocks three more times then finally digs into his pocket and drags out his keys. "That's strange, Luigi should be up and about by now," Mario observes.

"Maybe he's in town," Peach suggests as Mario opens the door. The stout plumber heads back toward his and Luigi's room to grab the tools from the closet as Peach heads for the dining room table where the mail sits neatly in a pile next to a folded slip of paper. Curious, Peach unfolds the paper and finds a note from Luigi to his brother.

Mario-

Went to visit a friend for the rest of the week, have fun at the castle! See ya on Saturday…or Sunday!

-Luigi

"Oh," she mummers in surprise, then looks up as Mario emerges from the bedroom with his black toolbox. "This is for you," she hands him the note and he quickly reads over it.

"A friend huh, I wonder who," Mario ponders. "Ah well, at least he left a note; prefer if he had given some more information and notice, but at least he won't be alone. So ready to head back so I can fix the sink," he asks turning back to her.

"Sure, the sooner the sink gets fixed the sooner we can head over to the basketball court," she notes excitedly. Mario gathers up his things once more and Peach leads them out of the house and toward the castle.

His eyes keep reading over the letter's body again and again, making sure he read it right and trying to commit it to memory. _Be at the train station no later than 3:30; look for a pink hat,_ he reminds himself trying not to fall asleep on the train. He left the house at nine so he could make it to the station before ten and has been sitting in the seat for about three hours now. _I hope this woman knows what she's doing, since she won't tell me what in the world she is up to,_ he thinks as he stares out the train window wanting time to pass by faster.

Daisy rolls her eyes as Chizer again chides her for loosing her balance during the waltz, bringing not only her crashing into the floor, but also Prince Pine who is her partner at the moment. "Sorry, I haven't gotten use to the heels yet."

"That's no excuse," the chibibo quips. The princess sighs irritably as Prince Pine offers a hand and pulls her back up. "Would anyone else like to try? You over there in the purple, come dance," Daisy looks back and Waluigi steps out of line and toward her.

_Great,_ she huffs as he steps in front of her.

"May I have this dance," he asks smugly knowing she could not really refuse. She stubbornly crosses her arms and turns her head away. Waluigi's jaw drops at her resistance as Chizer begins to blow a gasket ready to smack the desert princess. "Always playing hard to get, you know that just turns me on more." The lanky Wario Brother waggles his eyebrows as she scrunches her nose in disgust. She finally turns to him, places her hand on his shoulder, which is a stretch, and holds her other hand out for him to take.

"Let's just get this over with," Daisy growls.

"My pleasure," he takes her hand and leads. It is an awkward dance as she is wobbling on her heels and his extreme height makes it difficult for her to be positioned correctly, but other than that there are no problems. The music ends so they both step back and bow to one another.

"Been practicing," Daisy asks.

"Actually I have," Waluigi boasts, "not too shabby heh?"

"For a giant walking stick no," Daisy jabs with a smirk. He chuckles at her patronizing remark and shakes his head.

"Excellent work you two," Chizer interrupts, "looks like much improvement from last time. Now lets take a break and we'll come back to practice some more." The group disperses and heads for the kitchen to get some water.

"Phew, there all finished," Mario proclaims relieved. "That was a bad one, any further damage and we could have lost the whole pipe instead of just that piece." He gathers up his tools and puts them in the toolbox then sets the toolbox on the dining room table.

"Thanks for fixing it," Peach notes gratefully as he turns to wash his hands.

"Ah it was nothing," Mario replies. "So are we headed out for the basketball court now?"

"Well I figured you might want something to drink before we went, so I made some strawberry lemonade," she notes as she opens the refrigerator and grabs a plastic pitcher. "Would you like some?"

"Sure! I love strawberry lemonade," Mario exclaims excitedly. He sits down at the table as Peach comes over with two cups full of the sweet and tart drink. As they begin drinking, Toadsworth comes in to check on Mario's progress with the sink.

"You've fix it Master Mario," the elderly mushroom asks.

"Yeah, had to replace part of the pipe, but it should be as good as new."

"Excellent, thank you for toiling with plumbing I really do appreciate it."

"Not a problem Toadsworth," Mario replies then the kitchen door opens again and Parakarry flies in. "Parakarry! How are you?"

"I'm great Mario thanks," the paratroopa with aviator goggles responses.

"May I help you," Toadsworth interjects miffed that the mailman randomly entered the castle without him knowing.

"Oh yes sorry I have a letter here for Princess Toadstool," he explains as he digs through his bag then pulls out a yellow envelope.

"For me," Peach asks excited as Parakarry hands her the envelope. She slides her finger under the sealed flap and tears across to open it then pulls out a small white folded card. "You have been cordially invited to the Floral Ball on August 29th, 8:00PM at Floral Castle," she reads aloud then her eyes open wide. "That's this Friday!"

"Why did you not get the invitation until now," Toadsworth asks irritated.

"Um, yeah that is our fault," Parakarry admits. Toadsworth looks at him scornfully waiting for an explanation. "We temporarily misplaced it…"

"Misplaced it? How can official mail like this be misplaced? Now we have been caught unapprised and now have to prepare for a ball with little time," Toadsworth scolds. Parakarry shrinks back feeling belittled by the old toad's angry rant.

"Thanks for stopping by Parakarry," Mario notes, trying to give the paratroopa an out. Taking Mario's cue, Parakarry waves goodbye and proceeds to slip out of the kitchen. "So what do we need to do to get ready," the red clad plumber asks knowing that the anticipated basketball is not going to happen now.

"We have to pack and get both of you some formal wear then leave early on Friday so we can get there on time! I have to get some reservations at one of the hotels," Toadsworth frantically lists off.

"Daisy will let us stay at the castle," Peach notes, "At least she usually does."

"That is true, but on such short notice that would be terribly inconvenient for them. I will just make a reservation at the Chai Villi Lodge, should be easy enough to do. Okay off to the tailor shop," Toadsworth suddenly orders as he pushes Mario and Peach toward the door not giving them any opportunity to object.

Time ticks by slowly as the two elderly women sit at the train station waiting for the 3:30 train from Toad Town to arrive. Hyacinth sits patiently glancing up at the clock occasionally as Madeline taps her claw against the arm of the bench, sick of waiting. "I hope the train comes soon; I don't know how much longer I can wait," the blue shelled nokobon complains.

Hyacinth laughs, "You never want to wait for anything."

"I can't help it I'm just excited! We're smuggling in a common guy into a royal ball, messing with Thorne's plans! Being this mischievous like this makes me feel young again," she exclaims vivaciously.

Again Hyacinth laughs, "Yes it does feel great to stir up some trouble once again, but remember we are doing this for Daisy's sake." Madeline nods in agreement. "But it is a nice cancellation that it ruins my son's silly plans." Both of the women chuckle then fall silent once more as the sound of metal grinding against metal catches their attention. The black engine appears on the horizon, steam billowing out of the smoke stack, and the grinding of the wheels on the tracks becomes louder and louder as the train pulls closer to the station. The pair smile as the train pulls up to the platform and comes to a stop; the doors of the cars spring open and passengers begin to stream out.

"Do you see him," Madeline asks impatiently as she cannot see over anyone's head due to her short stature.

"Not yet," the former queen replies as she scans the crowd. Her eyes focus on the farthest train car and sure enough she spots the green clad man step out onto the platform. "There! All the way in the back," Hyacinth exclaims eagerly then begins to wave. Luigi scans the platform, but does not see the elder queen and begins to walk in the opposite direction, searching for her. "He doesn't see me. Dang it, he's walking away," Hyacinth frantically updates.

"Give me a boost onto your shoulders," Madeline quickly orders.

"What? I don't think that is such a good idea at our age," the former queen clad in pink advises.

"Do you want to get his attention or not?" Reluctantly, Hyacinth bends down and helps Madeline situate herself upon her shoulders then wobbly stands, unsure if she can bear the weight of her friend. As soon as Madeline is high enough to see over the crowd and spot Luigi, she snatches the pink hat off of Hyacinth's head and waves it.

"My hat," the elder Floral exclaims, but is ignored and drowned out as the nokobon brings two fingers to her lips and lets out a piercing, shrill whistle. "Ow, damn it Madeline, I'm almost deaf, but I'm not there yet!"

"It got his attention, so what are you complaining about," Madeline quips as Luigi makes his way over to them.

"Hey, uh do you want some help," he asks as he puts down his suitcase, noticing the expression of pain on Hyacinth's face.

"Get her off of me she weighs a ton," Hyacinth groans.

"I do not! Stop exaggerating," Madeline defends as Luigi reaches up, lifts her off of Hyacinth, and sets her on the ground.

"Thank you," the former queen gasps as she takes her hat back from her blue shelled friend.

"You two are crazy, I hope you realize that," Luigi notes candidly.

"Well who is hanging out with the crazy old ladies," Madeline retorts playfully. Luigi bites his tongue, unable to come up with a comeback. "That's what I thought. Anyway, enough chitchat we have an appointment to keep!" The nokobon leads the way to the tailor shop, rushing her two human companions to their destination.

"Ah right on time. Her ladyship is always so punctual," the shop keeper cajoles as the trio step in the door. "I will call out Des T. out for you," he offers then disappears behind a curtain by the counter.

"This place looks kind of expensive," Luigi observes, knowing that he could never afford this on his own.

"Oh it's not that bad for what you get," Hyacinth responds nonchalantly, "now stop worrying about the cost! What is important is that you look proper, like you belong at the ball." As he ponders about how to 'belong' at a ball, a toad in a blue dress emerges from the back and greets the trio of customers.

"Hello! Are you the ones who ordered the tux," she asks, looking for confirmation.

"Yes that's us," Hyacinth quickly responds as she pulls Luigi forward.

"Okay sir would you please step back here," the toadette instructs, leading him behind a different curtain, that leads back to the fitting room. After a minute she emerges and heads back behind the counter, as the shop keeper comes out to talk to Hyacinth and Madeline.

"So is that your grandnephew or some other connection to the family," he asks curious that the queen would need a tuxedo at the last second.

"No, he's a friend of my granddaughter," Hyacinth replies.

"I see," he notes skeptically. The former queen and Madeline give him a guarded look, "Well good luck with the suit, hopefully all goes for the best." He again disappears behind the curtain near the counter then Luigi steps out of the dressing room.

"Oh let us see," Hyacinth gleefully commands as Luigi rolls his eyes, feeling like he is five and shopping with his grandmother for clothes. "Oh it looks so great, now turn around so we can see the back."

"Its actually kind of loose back there," he informs as he turns around.

"Yeah it does look kind of baggy in the seat," Hyacinth notes and Madeline mummers in agreement. Luigi's brow furrows at the former queen's statement, not because of what she said, but what it implied.

_I have two old women looking at my butt,_ he stops noticing the irony, but is still unnerved by the whole idea. _This is so wrong and disturbing…This ball better be worth all this awkwardness and humiliation._ Quickly he turns back around, unable to bear the embarrassment anymore.

"So how is the fit," Des T. appears once more.

"Uh all right except the trousers are a little big in the, um rear," Luigi stammers uncomfortably.

"Oh all right I can fix that, but the rest of it fits comfortably?" He looks in the mirror at the green vest, white shirt, and black jacket with tailcoats as he moves his arms, making sure the sleeves are not too short.

"Yeah it fits perfectly," Luigi replies.

"Good, good, so I'll fix the trousers and you can pick them up tomorrow," she states and Luigi nods. "After I measure however, so I can make the adjustments."

"Wait measure, back there," he asks as his cheeks tinge with red.

"Well yes, I can't make the proper adjustments if I don't know how much fabric needs to go," the tailor informs.

"Hey at least it's the back, it could be worse," Madeline inserts. Luigi looks at her distrustfully, waiting for her to suggest a worst case scenario. "It could be the front," she barely squeaks out before her and Hyacinth burst out laughing. He rolls his eyes then follows the toad back into the dressing room so she can take the measurements. After she measures, the trio leave and head toward Madeline's house so the queen can drop off her two friends and head back to the castle for dinner.


	16. The Big Ball

**Hey guys, sorry this took so long. Busy, busy person, anyway I'll try to be more timely! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: You know the deal. ****  
**

**Chapter 16: The Big Ball**

The younger Mario Brother nervously fiddles with his tie as he looks at himself in the mirror. He breathes deeply trying to calm down, but is not successful as panicked thoughts run rampant in his head. _What am I going to do? I mean I've been to a ball before but they were always ones hosted by Peach! I know what to do at Peach's balls, but this is different. I don't know who will be here, except the royal family of course, but that is a problem all in itself! How do I talk to Daisy with all those prince guys around her and her father probably sitting not too far away? I don't want to meet the wrong end of the shovel again. What do I do?_ His thoughts are temporarily silenced as the door opens behind him and Madeline steps in. He looks at her using the mirror; she is in a navy dress and overcoat that matches her shell with a blue hat that has no rim, like a formal cap worn by a British woman. "You look great Madeline," he compliments.

"This old thing, oh please I have worn this dress to so many balls I cannot even remember wearing anything else. But you look handsome, that green bowtie is the perfect touch of color to add spice to the outfit especially against that silver vest under the black jacket," the blue shelled nokobon notes. He smiles as he wrings his hands. "What's the matter? Oh wait let me guess you're nervous?"

"Just a little," Luigi admits, the panicked thoughts piercing his mind once again.

"Oh don't worry, you'll be fine," she reassures.

"I hope so," he mutters apprehensively.

"Well are you ready to head out?" He nods and turns to his right, where his cap sits on the chair; he reaches for it when a clawed hand smacks his own. He exclaims out in pain and withdraws his hand, frowning at Madeline. "No hats, unless they are of the formal sort," she scorns. Luigi drops his head in defeat then follows her out of the house toward the castle.

Mario straightens his red tie in the mirror and carefully tucks it underneath his charcoal gray vest. "Are you ready Toadsworth," he asks loudly hoping that the elderly toad can hear him through the bathroom door.

"Yes Master Mario," he replies after opening the door. The toad consul emerges in a chocolate brown tuxedo with matching vest and bow tie. "You look superb Master Mario, even better with the jacket and hat I believe." Mario smiles as he slips on the black tuxedo jacket and puts on his black top hat with a thin line of red around the bottom that matches his tie. "Simply spectacular, you and Princess Peach will be the belles of the ball." Mario grimaces, not liking the idea of being one of the belles of the ball, but understands what Toadsworth is getting at. "Anyway, shall we go retrieve the princess and be on our way," the elderly toad asks as he heads for the room door. Mario follows him out the door and knocks on the door next to theirs, Peach's room.

"I'm coming," Peach frantically replies from inside.

"Princess Peach we must get going if we are to arrive on time," Toadsworth warns then the door suddenly opens.

"I know I just had to fix my hair," Peach explains as she steps into the doorway. Mario's eyes widen; the blonde princess is wearing a strapless red dress with a collar that connects the front to the back. Her normal gloves are replaced with a more formal pair of white gloves that are cut at an angle just above the elbow. The bottom of skirt matches the gloves and pearl earrings she is wearing as the bottom six inches of the skirt is white creating a stripe, breaking up the large amount of red. "Mario?" He shakes his head, snapping out of his stare. "What do you think?"

"Mamma Mia! You look fantastic," Mario exclaims as Peach blushes a little causing Toadsworth to be slightly uncomfortable.

"Well let's get going," Toadsworth pushes, pulling the couple toward the staircase leading to the lobby. Once out the doors, the trio packs into a carriage which takes them to Floral Castle. The entranceway to the castle is decorated with paper lanterns strung from the castle gates to the front door. The carriage stops in front of the gate and Peach, Mario, and Toadsworth file out onto the cobblestone walkway.

"It's so beautiful, how the castle is all lit up like this," Peach comments as she stares at the lights. "I cannot wait to see how they decorated the inside." They make their way up the walkway and into the foyer where everyone is waiting to get into the throne room.

"Last minute preparations I assume," Toadsworth states, explaining the wait; minutes later, the doors open and everyone streams into the throne room. The vast room is decorated in gold and rich, deep maroon; "Impressive." The elderly toad leads the plumber and princess around the maze of round tables until he locates theirs and they all sit. After settling in, Peach takes a glance around the room and notices one of the tables is set differently than the rest: it has a larger centerpiece and only has four chairs surrounding it.

"Must be where the royal family is going to sit," Peach muses aloud.

"Oh," Mario mummers curiously as he follows her path of vision; "why aren't they sitting down yet? It is their ball," he states confused.

"Master Mario this is no ordinary ball," Toadsworth informs. Mario responds with a skeptical and confused look. "See the table next to the royal table," Toadsworth points to another table, slightly larger with five chairs around it. "That is where the princes are sitting," Mario blankly looks at the elderly mushroom consul. "The ones who are attempting to court Princess Daisy," he explains perturbed that Mario is not remembering.

"Oh yeah I remember now! Those poor guys don't stand a chance," Mario jokes and Peach giggles.

"Master Mario this is a serious matter," Toadsworth scolds. "This ball is most likely a test for them along with Princess Daisy. All of those involved must make a good impression on the royal community."

"I was only kidding Toadsworth," Mario reassures, "I just can't picture Daisy picking some random suitor guy, especially considering how she acted to the whole idea the last time I saw her."

"Yes well, I am certain she has settled down by now," Toadsworth glares at Mario as he chuckles in disbelief at the toad's optimistic comment. "Everyone is beginning to be seated so the royal family should be making their appearance soon."

Daisy paces back and forth in the kitchen anxiously anticipating her cue. The door opens and Hyacinth steps in. "Grandma what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be waiting with Dad to be announced," the desert princess asks curiously.

"Yeah well, Chizer is getting ready to announce the princes so I have a little time," she explains. "I came to give you something," the former queen informs as she opens her hands revealing a silver necklace with a white ring strung on the chain.

"Oh Grandma it's beautiful! Where did you get it," Daisy asks excitedly as she turns around and crouches so Hyacinth can clasp the necklace around her neck.

"It has been passed down through generations of Floral women; I gave this to your mother on her wedding day," she pauses remembering the day. "Now I give it to you; it is to bring us luck in our search for happiness, especially in the romance department." The clasp clicks shut and Daisy turns around to face her grandmother. "Oh you look fabulous with it on, just like your mother."

"Thanks Grandma, it's perfect," Daisy graciously thanks as she hugs the elderly woman.

"You're welcome sweetie." Chizer's voice booms in the background as he clears his throat in the microphone.

"Oh we better hurry," Daisy warns, "don't want you to be late." The pair of women rushes toward the foyer where Thorne awaits.

Everyone listens intently as the princes are rapidly announced one after another, as they walk through the middle of the room on a designated pathway to their table. Waluigi is announced last and as he walks down toward the princes' designated table, a surprised Mario turns to Peach. "He's a duke? Warioland? That's not even a real kingdom!"

"That's odd, I wouldn't think King Floral would allow for someone like him to be part of his matchmaking experiment let alone attend a royal ball," Peach comments as Chizer's voice again booms over the microphone.

"Now presenting the host and hostess of this evening's event: his highness King Thorne Floral and Lady Hyacinth," an eruption of clapping initiates as the king and former queen enters the throne room. The king wearing a navy blue suit and Hyacinth wearing a glittery black dress walk to the front table and take a seat.

"Doesn't Hyacinth look beautiful, I wish I looked that good at her age," Madeline compliments; her and Luigi now just sitting down at their table.

"You look wonderful Madeline, don't sell yourself short," Luigi responds.

"Ah you're sweet," Madeline notes appreciatively.

"I must agree, you're the best looking nokobon here," another nokobon sitting at the table with a gray shell and matching tuxedo chimes in.

"Oh Herb, you old sweet-talker you don't make me blush," she teases then whispers to Luigi. "That is the head of security for the castle; he's been after me for years!" Luigi gives an awkward smile then looks back toward the doors as Chizer begins to speak once again.

"And finally, I am proud to present Sarsaraland's beloved Princess Daisy Floral!" Luigi's jaw drops as the desert princess enters the room.

_That yellow dress she wears doesn't do her justice_, he thinks as he notices her form fitting turquoise dress. She smiles and waves to the crowd as she walks to the front table where Thorne and Hyacinth are sitting. Luigi's mouth remains open as he watches her walk across the room. A clawed finger slides underneath the plumber's chin and pushes it up, closing his mouth.

"Your tongue was starting to collect dust," Madeline giggles. Luigi blushes embarrassed and rubs the back of his head. Servers then appear from the kitchen and serve appetizers as they take orders for dinner.

A couple of hours later, dinner has been served and eaten and the dancing has begun. Luigi pulls at his collar nervously, feeling as though he cannot breathe. He shifts in his chair as he watches Daisy dancing with a tall red haired guy with a dark grey tux and red tie, who he assumes is one of the princes. His eyes scan over to the royal table where King Floral heartily laughs with three older gentlemen, Kings from other lands. The memory of King Floral chasing him with a shovel flashes in his mind causing him to gulp nervously. _I don't think I'm going to be able to do this,_ he fretfully thinks as he wrings his hands together.

"Hyacinth," Madeline calls excitedly to the former queen, snapping Luigi out of his thoughts. Hyacinth rushes over to the table and give the blue shelled nokobon a hug. "You look great," Madeline compliments. "Is that a new dress?"

"Sort of, bought it a month ago and haven't had an opportunity to wear it until now," Hyacinth replies. "You look beautiful as always," the former queen returns the compliment.

"Thanks for the ego boost," Madeline replies and both women giggle.

"So who's your handsome date here," Hyacinth teases looking at Luigi. He blushes slightly and waves. "So you ready to make your move champ?"

"I was going to wait a little while since she is occupied," Luigi reasons as he looks down at the table.

"Occupied huh? Just remember, he who hesitates is lost," Hyacinth advises. "Don't wait too long."

"He's a little nervous, give him sometime," Madeline defends.

"Oh alright fine, but in the meantime, how about showing me those dance moves of yours," Hyacinth asks the younger Mario Brother. "Might help shake off those jitters of yours."

"Sure," Luigi accepts as he takes the elder Floral's hand and heads for the dance floor.

The music for the waltz ends and all the dancers on the floor applaud the orchestra, Mario and Princess Peach included. "They played really well," Peach praises as she and Mario leave the floor for a break.

"Yeah I haven't heard a professional orchestra play for awhile. Maybe we should go see the Mushroom Kingdom Orchestra when they play," Mario suggests.

"That would be fun," Peach agrees then notices Daisy also leaving the dance floor. "Daisy," Peach calls out as she waves. The desert princess smiles and heads over to her best friend to give her a hug.

"Peach! I'm glad you came! Wow, you look fabulous, maybe you should wear red more often," Daisy notes.

"Thanks, I could tell you the same! I think everyone was taken aback when you walked in the room; you look stunning!"

"Really? I was kind of worried about the color choice," Daisy notes as she fiddles with the end of her matching shawl then notices Mario. "Mario, how have you been? You look sharp in that tuxedo! Bet my girl here has had to beat all the women back away from you tonight."

Mario smiles with a slight hint of blushing, "Ah thanks, but my Peach know she is the only one for me." Both Mario and Peach smile lovingly at each other, leaving Daisy uncomfortable, yet envious as well.

"So how's the 'experiment' going," Peach asks breaking the awkward silence.

"Do we really have to talk about it,' Daisy asks as she rolls her eyes.

"Well it is kind of the reason we're all here right," Mario interjects.

"Maybe," Daisy responds vaguely then Waluigi appears behind her.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but Daisy may I have this dance," the lanky Wario Brother asks. Daisy stubbornly turns her head away without answering as Mario and Peach watch feeling awkward. "You know this playing hard to get stuff is getting old woman, and I bet Daddy over there wouldn't appreciate it either," Waluigi criticizes frustrated.

"Maybe you should take a hint then buddy. She's not interested," Mario quips and Peach looks over at him shocked he spoke up.

"You're not in this conversation meatloaf," Waluigi retorts as he pokes Mario accusingly.

"One dance stringbean," Daisy finally answer as she turns to face him. Waluigi smiles and holds out his hand, she takes his hand begrudged and follows him to the dance floor. Mario shakes his head in disbelief as Peach shrugs her shoulders.

"I still don't understand how he got in here," Mario states. "Oh well, would you like to go sit down, socialize a little more, or how about another dance?" The stout plumber holds out his hand as Peach smiles.

"Well how can I turn down a dance with you," she sweetly replies as they head back out onto the floor. The orchestra begins to play once more as Daisy reaches her hand up and places it on Waluigi's shoulder. A shiver runs down her spine as his hand land on her waist; their other hands join together and they start to dance. An awkward silence falls between them as Daisy stares out into space and Waluigi tries to figure out what to say.

"Now is this so bad? It's just like in practice," he notes optimistically notes breaking the silence. There is no response which aggravates him a little. "It could be worse," he notes sarcastically.

"Really, I can't see how it could be worse," Daisy bitterly responds.

"You could be dancing with Wario," he retorts. The desert princess laughs and Waluigi smirks as her cold exterior is broken. "You look amazing in that dress," he compliments.

"Thank you," she mummers, "you look pretty good yourself."

"Well I look good all the time," he boosts and she rolls her eyes. "Seriously though thanks you. That's one of the nicest things anyone has said to me," he notes graciously as his cheeks tinge with pink.

Daisy looks at him with concern, "I'm sure Wario has said nice things."

Waluigi scoffs," Yeah right, that's a rare occasion and that's if he is around! He's always at WarioWare Inc. with his little girlfriend nowadays." He sighs, "Have you ever felt left out?" Daisy looks at him questioningly. "You know, like you don't belong?" Daisy looks down, shocked at the question. He shakes his head as if trying to shake off the thought, "Sorry I should stop whining, it's not a big deal."

"Go on," Daisy insists as she looks back up into his eyes; curious how he is opening up to her.

"Eh okay," he agrees unsure if he should keep talking. "Well it is just that I don't really fit in my family. Mario is the king of the world with his bravery and heroics while Wario has his own business then there's the other one," Waluigi sneers angrily. Daisy shrinks back noticing the anger and resentment the lanky man had for the other Mario Brother.

"Why are you so callous toward him," Daisy asks slightly vexed. Waluigi sighs noticing her change of tone, "He's just, forget it you wouldn't understand."

"Then make me understand," she demands. Waluigi's eyes widen in shock at her persistence then he continues.

"Well how would you like to be compared to someone and never measure up," Waluigi replies defensively. Daisy drops down her gaze to his chest as she reflects upon all the times she had been compared to Peach and how it took a toll on her. She finally understood as she had been in those shoes, but instead of abhorring Peach she had swallowed it because she was her friend and she would rather take the short end of the stick than lose her best friend. The music begins to slow down signaling the end; the desert princess and lanky Wario Brother part to bow to one another ending the dance. "Thanks for the dance," Waluigi thanks as he begins to walk away.

"Waluigi," Daisy softly calls for his attention as she grabs his arm. "I understand." She steps toward him and hugs him, causing him to blush embarrassed. "Maybe you're not so evil after all, stringbean. We should talk again sometime," she suggests as she walks back to her chair that she pulled away from the front table and faced toward the dance floor. He watches her walk away dazed wondering what exactly had just happened then a smirk grows across his face.

_Maybe she's not as stubborn as she seems,_ he optimistically thinks as he leaves the floor and heads back to the prince's table. He sits down next to Prince Pine and across from Prince Toffee as the others had disappeared in the mass on the dance floor or conversing with other royals at different tables. Waluigi dazes out recollecting his time on the dance floor then he looks up feeling as though he was being watched. He catches Pine watching him with a quizzical expression on his face. "What? I look funny to you or something," Waluigi snips.

"No, no, sorry I was just wondering how your dance with the princess went," Pine quickly replies nervously then mumbles, "Since I haven't danced with her yet."

"That's a weird question, but eh it was good I would say," Waluigi replies.

"Well gentlemen I will show you a good dance; watch a professional at work," Toffee brags as he gets up and walks toward Daisy. Waluigi scoffs anticipating the dark haired prince to make a fool of himself; both Waluigi and Pine watch as Toffee takes Daisy out onto the dance floor and dances a waltz with her. A minute into the dance, Toffee's hand 'accidentally' slips down from its place on her waist down to her butt. Waluigi snickers as a loud slap echoes from the direction of the dance floor as Daisy slaps Toffee then stomps away. Toffee holds his cheek as he makes his way back to the table.

"Wow you are a pro, real smooth," Waluigi jests with an evil smirk.

"Shut up," Toffee replies bitterly.

"Serves you right," Pine scolds Toffee, "treating a fine lady like that with such disrespect."

"Who was talking to you pipsqueak," Toffee challenges.

"It was a statement of opinion," Pine states as he stands up from his chair. "Now if you excuse me I am off to find some mature gentlemen to talk to." He walks away as Waluigi rolls his eyes.

_Geez what is with these guys? They are either barbaric muscle heads or they have a superiority complex; whatever in the end they all are morons…_Waluigi thinks. Silence reigns over the table as he and Toffee watch the dancers on the floor.

"Hey is that who I think it is," Toffee suddenly asks as he points into the crowd.

"Who," Waluigi asks in response dully.

"That guy toward the middle with the hot blonde chick in the red dress, is that Mario? You know the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom Mario," he asks excitedly.

"Yeah that's him," Waluigi confirms irately.

"Awesome," Toffee notes, "he's my idol man!"

"That's nice," Waluigi states, not really caring. The music ends and the two walk off the floor back to their table. Toffee stands up and follows them to their table and begins a conversation. _Like a freakin' love sick puppy, oh well was getting bored of him anyway. Now I can just sit here with my thoughts._

_Okay, I'm going to do it after this dance. I'm going to walk right up to her and ask for a dance._ His knees begin to quake under the table, _I can't do it! Breathe, breathe! I'm going to do it. I didn't suffer all that humiliation of getting a tux and taking dance lessons to chicken out now right? Right!_ Luigi stands up from his seat and heads toward the other side of the room. As he gets closer to her vacant chair, the more his knees quake and his hands shake. He stops a couple tables behind her chair and takes a deep breath trying to calm down.

"Made your move yet?" Luigi jumps in shock then turns around to find Madeline giggling at him. "A little jumpy aren't ya?"

"Just a little," Luigi confesses then glances back at the dance floor as the music once more begins to come to a close. Luigi gulps nervously as Madeline grins.

"Well break a leg, I'm off to find my dancing partner," she notes excitedly.

"Herb," Luigi asks causing Madeline to flush red.

"Maybe," she replies coyly giving a wink then disappears. Luigi chuckles then turns back toward the dance floor as the music has stopped and the dancers to each other.

He scans the crowd to find Daisy curtsying to a shorter man with brown hair. Sweat beads form on his forehead as she leaves the dance floor and sits down on the chair he has been making his way towards. Madeline quickly dodges through the crowd and over to the royal table where Hyacinth sits bored as her son continues to converse with the other kings present at the ball. The blue shelled nokobon lightly taps the former queen on the shoulder, she smiles relieved when she sees her friend. "Madeline you came just in time lets walk over to your table." She notes the last part loud enough for the benefit of Thorne then rushes away with her friend. "Thank you for the rescue, one more minute of listening to the good old boys talk and I would have fallen asleep," Hyacinth notes gratefully.

"Glad to help, but I came over because our boy is about to make his move," the nokobon informs excitedly.

"Finally," the former queen exclaims then drags Madeline toward the side of the room close to the dance floor so they can see Daisy. "Where is he," she whispers eagerly noticing Daisy sitting alone.

"Right there coming up from behind," Madeline subtly points.

His heart feels like it is going to leap out of his chest with every step he takes. "I can do this," he mumbles to himself repeatedly between breaths. Finally he ends up a couple of feet to her left; he glances at her noticing how she is slumped over, her chin resting on her hand as she looks down at her feet. He takes another deep breath then walks up beside her and opens his mouth, but unable to say anything. She continues to look at her turquoise shoes, not noticing his approach until she spots a black shoe within her field of vision. "Daisy," Luigi stammers nervously as she looks up. Her initial expression of shock quickly turns to delight as she shoots up out of her chair.

"Luigi! I didn't know you were going to be here," she exclaims as she hugs him causing his knees to quake more violently. She pulls back and smiles, "Such a nice surprise, you look great in that tux by the way."

Luigi blushes, "Thanks. You look great too," he nervously compliments.

"Well thank you," she replies then an awkward silence falls between them.

_Say something anything!_ Luigi screams mentally then begins to stutter his question. "Well Daisy I, um, was wondering if you would like to dance," he asks as he fiddles with his hands. "Unless you know you're tired or something then I can wait."

A smile spreads across her face as she grabs his hand, "I would love to dance with you." Relief washes over Luigi as Daisy leads him out to the middle of the dance floor, dodging other dancers as they waltz to the music. His right hand rests on her hip while hers on his shoulder, their other hand grasps one another and they begin to waltz.

"So what have you been up to lately? Last time I saw you, you were pretty upset," Luigi asks trying to make conversation.

"Yeah well I wasn't looking forward to having to deal with all these people and dressing up for a fancy ball that I would be bored at, but this one has actually turned out okay," she muses.

"Really? How is this ball any different from the others?"

"I've actually had people to dance with and good people to talk to; usually I'm on my own at these things, which reminds me," Daisy transitions. "Who did you come with? Mario and Peach didn't mention that you would be here."

_Mario and Peach are here?!?_ He thinks panicky; _there goes my alibi to them. Should have known they would be invited; Peach is Daisy's best friend, duh! They are going to never let me live this one down._ "I, uh, came with a friend of mine who had a guest invite with her invitation," Luigi stammers.

"Her invitation uh," Daisy teasingly prods, "Who would this lady be?"

"Her name's Madeline."

"Madeline? That name sounds familiar…"

"Yeah she's a nokobon I met on a train once," he terribly lies, voice wavering and sweat forming more profusely on his brow.

"Would she happen to have a blue shell?"

"Yes why?"

"Just curious," Daisy replies with a smile. "I think I know her."

"Oh really, small world," Luigi shrugs.

"Really small," Daisy agrees. _Madeline doesn't like to take the train, she would rather take the bus or a plane. Umm, something smells fishy here and I bet grandma has something to do with it. I wonder what those two are up to…_She decides not to dwell on it now and ask her grandmother later. "So if Peach and your brother didn't force you to come with them, why did you come," Daisy asks bluntly; Luigi looks at her slightly confused. "Not to be rude, but you like balls about as much as I do which is not at all," she adds, explaining her reasoning for the question.

"Well," Luigi sighs, "this is going to sound cheesy, but I wanted to see you." He answers looking her in the eye, but goes red in the face at the same time.

"Oh that's so," she pauses then blushes with a flattered smile, "sweet." He smiles embarrassed as the song comes to an end. They bow to one another then turn toward the band giving them a round of applause.

"Thank you," the composer replies to the applause as he turns toward the crowd. "It has been a spectacular evening so far, so we will keep it going with a change of pace. Please give us a minute to prepare out next song,Beautiful Maria of the Soul," he announces causing Daisy to smile.

"Why does that song sound familiar," Luigi asks.

"It came from your world of course," Daisy answers. "You know a lot of people and things drop down from you world."

"I figured they only dropped into the Mushroom Kingdom, but that makes sense that it would appear everywhere I guess. So is it your favorite song? You seem really excited," Luigi observes.

"It's just that this is the song I was taught my favorite dance to. We play it at every ball we hold, but I never have anyone to dance it with because no one knows the dance except Chizer and my grandmother. My grandparents actually taught me as they use to dance all the time and it was their favorite as well."

"Really which dance," Luigi asks, his gut telling him he knows the answer.

"It's a Latin dance called the Bolero; I like Latin dancing, it has such power and force."

Luigi's eyes widen as his intuition is confirmed, _Those sneaky women! They knew this song would play at the ball and set me up to dance with Daisy. Are they trying to do what I think they are doing? But why?_

"Oh well," the desert princess sighs, "I still like listening to the song."

Luigi takes another deep breath as he extends his hand to her, "May I have this dance," he asks with a grin. She gives him a puzzled look, but out of curiosity takes his hand. They reassume their waltz position as the band finishes their preparations.

"You know what you're doing," Daisy asks, out of the corner of her eye she sees him smile confidently then the music begins. He leads her into a series of repetitions of the basic steps: a long side sweep followed by two quick steps then he spins her away from him and pulls her back. "Full of surprises aren't you," she observes as they take another long sweep step.

"Well you know, got to keep things interesting," Luigi smiles.

"Interesting huh," she grins; _I can do interesting..._

Peach glances out to the dance floor as Prince Toffee and Mario talk bored with their conversation. She notices the change in music then how the dance floor emptied quickly, yet people lingered in the front as if watching something. Peach stands up from the table and walks over to the crowd to see what they were all looking at. Her eyes widen,_that's Daisy, wait this music is it what I think it is?_ She listens closely and recognizes the tune,_ the Bolero; she never is able to find a partner for this! So who is out there with her?_ She watches closely waiting for the couple to turn around, so she could see the man's face. As she intently watches the couple on the floor, Mario walks up next to her.

"Peach are you okay? Why did you leave so suddenly," he asks.

"Oh Mario, I'm sorry sweetie, but I saw the crowd over here and wanted to take a look."

"Ah I see, well I…" he stops as he looks out onto the floor. He blinks twice as he looks at Daisy's partner, "it can't be."

"Mario," Peach asks concerned, "what's the matter?"

"It looks like…" Mario begins then points as finally the pair switches position where Daisy's back is toward the crowd. Both Mario and Peach's jaws drop, "Momma Mia it's…"

"Luigi!" Waluigi sneers as he clenches his fists. "What is he doing here," he wonders as he leans against the wall and crosses his arms vexed. He glances over to where King Floral is sitting and notices the displeased scowl on his face as he observes the couple on the dance floor then heads down toward the side of the floor. "Oh this should be good…" Waluigi smirks as he moves in closer to see what the king is up to.

"Aww, look at those smiles! They are too cute," Hyacinth excitedly whispers to Madeline. The blue shelled nokobon nods in agreement with a smile that quickly fades as she notices Thornee heading toward them.

"Son alert," Madeline warns as she turns back to the floor, acting like she did not see anything.

"Mother," the King greets with a concerned scowl, "who is that dancing with my daughter? He does not look like he is from any family I invited."

"Well that is because he's not," Hyacinth replies coolly. "You might want to try picturing a pair of fuzzy ears and a tail then you might recognize him," she advises trying not to chuckle too hard.

"What?!? How did he get in here," Thorne asks, not amused at all by the situation.

"Oh calm down," Hyacinth orders, "they know each other; they're friends!" Thorne grumbles in disbelief, "Besides more importantly look at that smile, she's having fun! Let the girl have fun at her own ball."

"I guess," the King grumbles in agreement as he continues to watch his daughter closely for the rest of the dance. Finally the music comes to an end and the crowd roars in applause. Daisy and Luigi both take a bow, surprised that they drew in a crowd.

"The Bolero, beautifully danced by our own Princess Daisy and her partner," the director exclaims and the applause grows louder.

Luigi rubs the back of his head modestly, "Oh it was nothing."

"Nothing? That was great," Daisy exclaims ecstatically. "Thank you for the dance, I haven't had that much fun in a while."

"No problem, it was my pleasure," Luigi replies.

"No I mean it, thank you very much," Daisy responds seductively leaving Luigi speechless; she leans over and kisses him on the cheek. His cheeks are engulfed in a red hue as he smiles blissfully. The desert princess giggles at his reaction then looks over to the crowd, most of who are still in shock. She spots all the princes and Waluigi, all of them sharing the same expression of frustration gritted teeth and squinted eyes then she continues to scan and finds her father.

"Luigi," the younger Mario Brother snaps out of his daze as he hears his name called out. He turns to the crowd and spots Mario waving him back then turns back to Daisy.

"I'll see you later Luigi," she promises with a smile as she turns back toward her father.

"Bye," he softly replies as he walks toward Mario and Peach waiting in the crowd.

She swallows nervously, but smiles defiantly as she walks over to him. He scowls at her with his arms crossed, "Young lady we need to talk."

"Sure Dad," she smiles as they head back to the royal table.


	17. Strange Invasion

**Hey guys, long time no see! Been awhile, I apologize for that! Well, I got to say this one is an interesting chapter, pretty long and a little out there but hey its Mario World why not! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Yep, don't own anything. Sums it up pretty nicely. **

**Chapter 17: Invasion**

The carriage rocks back and forth as the horse trots toward the hotel, the only sounds heard from inside are the clop of the horse's hoofs and Toadsworth lecturing. Peach and Mario look at each other as Luigi stares out the window, his blissful smile somewhat still intact. "Master Luigi that was ever so inappropriate! Not only did you make the princes seem deficient, but you also made the King appear foolish! Oh not something one wants to mend, poor Chizer will have so much work to do to clean this mess. Master Luigi, are you even paying attention to what I am saying?"

"Hmm, what," Luigi asks as pries his eyes away from the window to the elderly mushroom consul.

"Agh, you are impossible! Over there daydreaming while I am informing you of the consequences your actions have caused!"

"It was a dance! I can't help it if we got a little carried away…"

"Carried away?!? Is that what that is called," Toadsworth retorts, "to me it appeared that you were doing more than getting a little 'carried away'!" The carriage stops and Toadsworth readjusts his glasses, "We will speak more about this in the morning. For now, you will accompany your brother in his room while I arrange my new sleeping arrangements." The four of them file out of the carriage into the hotel then to their respective rooms.

"Young lady, I am very disappointed in you," Thorne scolds while pointing his finger at Daisy. "This was a royal ball and you dance with this, this common person and enjoy it more than dancing with these princes I have brought into our home to eventually become a part of this family! You made me look ridiculous out there!"

"Well maybe this is ridiculous! Did you ever think of that? I told you before that I was not going to go along with this 'plan' of yours and I'm not starting now," Daisy huffs.

"Why are you so stubborn? I just want what is best for you and you defy me at every turn! Can't you for once do something without putting up a fight," Thorne asks exasperated.

"Sorry to disappoint you Dad, but I was not born that way. Maybe you should remember that I am not only your daughter but also a reflection of you. I am this stubborn because you made me so," Daisy retorts.

"Young lady don't you dare start pointing your finger and blaming me. You are responsible for your own actions thus you will pay the consequences. Starting tomorrow you will not leave this castle under any circumstances for an entire week."

"Are you serious? This is stupid, I'm going to bed," Daisy huffs as she stomps out of the throne room and up to her own. Thorne sighs irately as he sits down and rests his head in his hands. The servants quietly clean the throne room as Hyacinth sits next to her son waiting for him to talk to her.

"Mother, where did I go wrong with that girl," the king asks frustrated. Hyacinth merely laughs at the question; Thorne brings his head back up and glares at her, "what is so funny? I was being serious!"

"Son, you didn't do anything wrong; well you did handle the situation wrong, but nobody's perfect," Hyacinth jokes as Thorne looks at her cynically. "Just answer me this, why is it so important for you to have her marry a prince?"

"Because a prince is stability," he exclaims, "good family background, financial support just in case something goes wrong, prosperity for the kingdom, so many things a prince can provide!"

"That's nice and all but what about the most important thing," Hyacinth alludes as Thorne looks at her puzzled, "her happiness." The king looks away, down at the table in thought; Hyacinth stands and places her hand on his shoulder. "It's been a long day maybe you should get sleep on it."

Thorne smiles and places his on hers, "Thanks Mom."

"You're welcome, have a good night."

"Night," he replies as he watches her leave then goes to the kitchen to find Chizer. After making sure that clean up is on schedule so he could sit in on his throne the next day, Thorne turns in for the night.

Luigi wakes up to the sound of Mario's snoring in the morning; he stretches then looks over at the clock, 9:15. _Should be light outside by now_, he carefully makes his way to the window and peeks through the curtains to find the day has already begun outside. Sunshine baths the villa in its light as its inhabitants go about their daily tasks. _Looks really nice outside, I think I'm going to go for a walk._ He closes the curtains and finds his suitcase by the bathroom door, pulls it inside the small room, closes the door, and turns on the light to get dressed. _Good thing I was able to get this last night from Madeline before it became too late._ He finishes getting ready and slips out the room without waking Mario; as he finishes closing the door he turns to walk down the hall to find Toadsworth standing outside the princess's room.

"Where are you off to Master Luigi," Toadsworth inquiries.

"I wanted to take a walk around the village before we left," Luigi answers slightly miffed.

"Just be sure to be back before check out, we don't want to be late for the train," Toadsworth warns. Luigi nods in response, "Enjoy your walk." He leaves the hotel and heads down the main street of town where different merchants had set up stands and booths displaying their products. Bouncing between the booths, Luigi curiously examines the different food and crafts from the various regions within the Sarasaland Kingdom. As he leaves a fruit stand featuring an odd subspecies of coconuts that were close to blue in color he notices the other people looking back past him with awe. Curious about the crowd's behavior, Luigi turns around and his eyes widen as only ten feet away, King Floral stands in front of a neighboring stand talking with the owner. Afraid of being spotted, Luigi quickly makes his way toward a local bookstore and a couple of feet from the door almost trips upon a small elderly woman with a purple cloak.

"Sorry Miss," he apologizes.

"Don't worry about it," the elderly woman quickly replies then dashes off, not allowing Luigi to see her face.

He watches her rush off down the street into the park; _Something didn't seem right with that woman._ He scratches his chin in thought then walks into the bookstore. She rushes down the bike path into the wooded area then slips in between the trees to a secluded part of the woods where King Bowser awaits with his Koopa Clown Copter and his son, Bowser Jr.

"Took you long enough! What is the status," Bowser demands.

"Your nastiness, the King is out on his daily walkabout through the village," Kammy wheezes as she pulls back the hood of her cloak. "The castle should be ripe for the picking and the princess ripe for kidnapping."

"Hmph good," Bowser replies reluctantly.

"Sire, is there something wrong?"

"No, it just seems like I am cheating on my beautiful Peach by kidnapping this other princess," Bowser sulks.

Kammy scratches the back of her head in befuddlement, "Sire I must say that makes no sense."

"QUIET you old decrepit windbag! You wouldn't understand," Bowser roars. Kammy shrinks down nervously as Junior speaks up.

"Its okay Dad, we're doing this for Mamma Peach! She'll understand what you got to do," Junior reassures.

Bowser smiles as he rubs the top of his son's head with his massive hand, "Thank you son." The Koopa King then turns to Kammy, "See that, my son knows his father! All I needed was a little reassurance. Now get your sorry sagging butt up the hill and give the signal to the troops," Bowser orders.

"Yes sir!" Kammy rushes over next to the copter and retrieves her broomstick and takes off into the sky.

"Alright son, ready for some fun," Bowser asks with a grin as they both hop into the copter.

"Let's do it," Junior exclaims as he throws his little fist up in the air excitedly. Bowser nods as he starts the copter and takes to the sky.

Daisy sits under her cherry blossom tree with her back resting upon the trunk, gazing up at the sky. _Hmm I wonder what it would be like to fly,_ she ponders as she watches the cumulus clouds roll by. _I guess the better question is how does one fly in the first place without the help of a machine?_ She sits for a second then remembers with a grin, _I guess one would have to become a tanooki wouldn't they._ She stands up and walks over to her flowerbed with the lilies smelling them. _I wonder what he is up to right now…_she thinks as she plays with the pedals of a tiger lily. Suddenly a blaring squeal breaks the silence and catches Daisy's attention. _The warning siren, why?_ She then notices a shadow pass overhead and looks up, her jaw drops in disbelief. Swarms of paratroopas and buzzy beetles fly overhead and into the castle. Screams of panic spill out of the castle as servants run out the back door chased by a number of the Dark Land minions. Snapping out of her daze, Daisy quickly dashes over to the gate and locks it then grabs the shovel and holds it ready to strike anything that would dare attack her.

Bowser roars with laughter as he watches the villagers scramble away from the goombas, beetles, and koopa troopas making up his land troops. He turns back to face forward as the castle draws closer. "Alright son, ready for your mission," the Koopa King asks with a grin as he looks down at Junior. His son eagerly nods his head, itching to raid the castle. "Okay wait for my signal," Bowser orders as he begins to land the copter in front of the castle doors. Flocks of servants and a prince or two scramble out the door as a grey nokobon yells at the top of his lungs trying to calm the masses.

"Listen everybody, remain calm! Remember the drill calmly make your way toward the basement. No not that way! Argh, where are my guards? We all need to calm down," the grey nokobon exclaims then stops as he feels the ground rumble underneath him. He turns around and his eyes widen as his jaw drops. Standing before him was Bowser who smiles showing all of his teeth.

"Hello might you escort me to the throne room," Bowser snickers evilly.

"AAAAHHHHH!" The grey nokobon cries as he begins to run away, "BOWSER, BOWSER IS HERE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Bowser roars with laughter then sprays fire up into the air and charges into the castle as Junior sneaks out of the copter and around to the side of the castle.

Luigi looks over the top of the book he is reading as he hears yelling coming from outside. As his eyes peer over the binding, he sees the various merchants he met earlier running down the street with goombas following them. The younger Mario Brother blinks puzzled and surprised then sighs. _What in the world is going on out there?_ He drops the book and emerges from the store to find a slew of troops heading down the street. _Oh crap, are we serious? What are Bowser's troops doing here?_ Luigi starts stomping on goombas, koopa troopas, and beetles eventually catching the attention of a group of goombas. The swarm starts to close in on him as he takes out another ten enemies with a koopa shell. "Ha you guys either need a new job or some training," the green clad plumber jests then a goomba jumps up and sinks its teeth into the flesh of his arm. "Aaahh," he yells out in pain then another one bites onto his leg. He kicks at it with his other leg successfully prying it off, but it is replaced by three more that latch on to his remaining appendages. Gritting his teeth in pain, he slowly shuffles toward one of the fruit stands, remembering something that could be of use to him now. Off the counter, he grabs a green fruit and with his teeth peels back the thick peel revealing the white and light green flesh. He squeezes the lime over a goomba latched onto his leg.

"AAAHHH, it burns!" The goomba screeches as the lime juice drips into its eyes; while it's distracted, Luigi slams his leg and the goomba into the side of the fruit stand, effectively squishing it on his leg.

"Eww," Luigi notes with a scrunched up nose then turns his attention to the other goombas. He slams his other leg into the stand knocking off the goomba attached to his shin and slams his arms onto the counter stunning the goombas then shaking them off. Seeing more enemies coming his way, he climbs upon the counter to get a better look as to where the enemies are heading. Shading his eyes with his hand, Luigi spots the destination, "The castle? I better moving!" Promptly, the younger Mario Brother hops down off the stand and runs toward the castle.

A red koopa flies over the castle wall as Daisy exhales a sigh of relief. "Another one down," she huffs as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. A large roar erupts from within the castle, the sound waves vibrating through her body. "What was that?!?" She turns to go out the gate when she hears another roar; this one softer and childlike. Curiosity drives her to face the tree where she spots Bowser Junior roaring at her. "Aww, aren't you cute trying to scare me with your little roar," Daisy quips. "Unfortunately for you, I know who you are," the desert princess raises up the shovel ready to strike. "Why are you here?"

"To get Mama Peach," Junior replies innocently as he discreetly presses a button on his spiked bracelet.

"For one thing I ain't your mama, and secondly I'm not Peach," Daisy proclaims as she begins to swing the shovel down. Junior thrusts his arm forward as he dodges the plummeting shovel head and releases two darts full of weak but fast acting tranquilizer. The darts puncture her midsection; for a moment she stands there in a trance then slowly falls to the ground as her eyes close. Junior stands with a grin treasuring victory then blows a high pitched whistle, calling for assistance. He looks down at the fallen princess as he waits for help to arrive and notices the necklace with the white ring around her neck.

He grins, _Just like Dad said._ Three parakoopas and four buzzy beetles land down into the garden answering the call. "Carry her to the copter," Junior orders as he points to the gate. _Dad will be so proud,_ Junior beams, _soon Dad will be able to take back Mama Peach and Mario will be toast!_

Luigi makes his way up to the wall of the castle gardens. _I have been here before,_ he recalls. Up the road toward the front gate, he spots flocks of enemies then looks back at the wall. _I think I'll go in here,_ he thinks a little scared of the chaos at the front gate, _but question is how do I get up this wall?_ After a series of wall jumps and a side somersault, Luigi finally grabs the top edge of the wall. _Phew, it was so much easier flying last time!_ He pulls himself over the wall and falls into the flowerbed of tulips and lilies. After dusting himself off, he heads toward the gate, noticing the shovel on the way. Pushing aside the forsythias, the green clad plumber finds the gate and enters the courtyard; to his right is a set of glass patio doors leading into the castle and to his left the rest of the courtyard. A loud, thunderous roar erupts from inside the castle the sound vibrates through Luigi's body like an earthquake. The younger Mario Brother cringes at the intimidating roar of his brother's arch nemesis, the only thing that scares him more than Bowser is the sadistic chuckle of his own nemesis, King Boo.

"Go Dad go!" The softer voice of Bowser's son, Bowser Junior, startles Luigi. Quickly he dashes behind the white forsythias to hide then peers out and spots Bowser Jr. looking through the patio doors cheering on his father, but also signaling as well. "Dad, I got her in the copter," Junior yells cupping his hand around his mouth, hoping to be loud enough for Bowser to hear him. "DAD!" The smaller koopa begins to bang on the glass as Luigi slips back into the garden and grabs the shovel. "Dad! Hello?" Junior frantically waves his arms and finally Bowser sees him and signals him with a thumbs-up. "All right! Time to get out of here," Junior exclaims excitedly as he turns to head back to the copter. Before Junior is able to walk away, he is hit in the back of the head and blacks out.

Mario turns over and wakes to the sound of his alarm clock. He yawns loudly as he switches off the alarm, "Time to wake up already?" Wiping the sleep out of his eyes he looks over to Luigi's bed to find him gone then someone knocks at the door. Mario slowly drags his feet to the door and finds Toadsworth on the other side. "Toadsworth, is there something wrong?"

"Master Mario, you must hurry a slew of Bowser's forces are attacking the village," the elderly toad exclaims panicked.

"Bowser? But why here?"

"Isn't it obvious, he must be after Princess Toadstool again! He must have found out she was coming here and planned to ambush us!"

"Now wait a minute Toadsworth, if that was the case then shouldn't the hotel be under attack," Mario asks stumping the elderly consul.

"Well yes, I suppose you are correct Master Mario," Toadsworth concedes. Mario dashes over to the window and watches as the tail end of the Koopa King's forces march through town. "They must be attacking the castle then! Master Mario please do something," Toadsworth pleads.

"I'm on it," Mario exclaims heroically as he grabs his clothes, quickly changes, and then dashes downstairs to the street.

Bowser laughs heartily as he watches everyone scurry away from him. _This is going off perfectly, man I should invade other kingdoms more often! Kind of nice to have a win every once in a while_, the Koopa King notes mentally. He exhales a spray of fire causing the panicked people to run faster and again he chuckles. Finally he busts out the front door and heads for the Koopa Copter. "Huh what the," Bowser states confused as he approaches the copter, but does not see Junior anywhere. "Where is that son of mine?" Bowser looks around then peers inside his vehicle to find Princess Daisy tied up, but awake.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I'm not Peach you pea-brained dinosaur! Now I demand you let me go," Daisy orders furiously. Bowser replies with an evil snicker, "What's so funny?"

"First off, I know that you are not my precious Peach, she is stunning as you are only pretty." Daisy glares at Bowser as he continues, "Secondly, I am not pea-brined; I am King Bowser learn to have some respect. Finally I am kidnapping you, so deal with it!"

"King Bowser, pleas you are nothing more than a vile, ugly, obese mutant turtle with nothing better to do than ruin other people's lives," Daisy snaps. Bowser growls at her, scaring her, but refusing to let it show.

"Listen you annoying woman, I am not going to argue with you all day. Now stay down and shut your mouth," Bowser snarls as he turns away from her to look around for his son. Kammy swoops down out of nowhere and rusher over to him.

"Your Vileness, horrible news," Kammy gasps.

"What," Bowser roars.

"Mario is headed this way Your Grumpiness."

"Shit, every time I make a move he's there! Grr, Kammy I need you to hold him off."

"Hold him off? But sire we do not have time and we have what we came for, why linger any longer," Kammy questions.

"Do not question me you old hag! Now go," Bowser orders. Dutifully Kammy flies off on her broom as Bowser waits for Junior to arrive.

Mario knocks a koopa shell into a swarm of goombas knocking them over like bowling pins. He grins as he continues to make progress toward the castle. _Almost there,_ suddenly he is hit from behind and he falls on his face. Recovering with a roll to the side, Mario looks up to find Kammy on her broom cackling at him.

"Preparing to be vanquished," Kammy exclaims as she waves her wand sending out five fireballs racing toward him. Mario gracefully dodges all of them then jumps up and grabs onto her broom. "What are you doing? Get off my broom you disgusting plumber," the koopa witch demands as she whacks at Mario's fingers with her wand. Mario avoids her assault as he swings his legs up and wraps them around the broom behind Kammy and let's go with his hands. Quickly he swings back up and grabs onto the broom with one hand while the other seizes the wand. "My wand! You plump toilet washer, give that back!"

"Not until you come up with some better insults," Mario quips as he again lets go with hand leaving him dangling by his feet. The elderly koopa turns around and spots the plumber's feet hooked around her broom. She brings back her hand, ready to maul the hero's feet with her claws when he quickly pulls up and brushes the wand against the brush of the broom setting it on fire then unhooks his feet sending him plummeting to the ground.

"Ah, I'm on fire," Kammy exclaims distressed as she loses control of the broom and flies off. Mario wipes his brow with a grin then continues toward the castle. As he jogs up to the front gate, he spots the king and former queen run out the door being chased by two pairs of parakoopas. Mario increases his pace and jumps on the back pair of flying turtles reducing them to shells then takes out the other two by hurling the shells at them.

"Are you alright," Mario asks concerned as he walks up to Thorne and Hyacinth.

"We're fine, but they took my daughter," King Floral informs worried, "we have to get her back!"

"Daisy, why would Bowser take her," the red clad hero asks perplexed.

"I don't know, but like my son said we have to get her back now," Hyacinth stresses.

"Okay calm down, I'll find her. I just have to figure out where," Mario begins but is interrupted by a crashing noise.

"I have failed you King Bowser," Kammy coughs.

"Argh, time to get out of here," Bowser sighs as he looks down at his assistant, her broom burnt to a crisp along with herself. The Koopa King hurriedly jumps into the copter and starts it, making it levitate above the ground. Daisy is forced to stand up beside Bowser as he takes up most of the room in the vehicle. As they pull away she looks down and spots Kammy lying on the grass singed.

"Are you just going to leave her like that," Daisy asks disgusted.

"Yes now shut up," Bowser growls.

"Some king you are, leaving your assistant, not to mention your son!"

"I said shut it!" He bares his teeth at her and she falls silent. "Geez women," he grumbles as he rolls his eyes.

"Bowser get back here," a familiar voice yells. The lizard tyrant looks back down where Kammy landed to find Mario along with the royal family glaring up at him.

"Not today my mustachioed enemy! Today I am victorious," Bowser decrees with a chortle.

"Mario help," Daisy yells as Bowser shifts the copter into drive.

"Don't worry Daisy we'll get you out of there," Hyacinth replies trying to comfort her granddaughter. The copter begins to slowly pull away following the road, Mario dashes down the path following the copter's shadow. As the vehicle passes over the courtyard and Daisy's garden another voice calls out to the Bowser.

"King Bowser!"

Bowser looks over the edge of the copter toward the garden to see Luigi standing on the top edge of the wall. "What do you want?"

"Did you forget something?" Bowser glares at Luigi, then the green clad plumber steps aside to reveal and unconscious Junior slumped over behind him.

"Junior!" Bowser's jaw drops in shock then with plumes of smoke rising out of his nostrils he turns back to the plumber. "Give me back my son!"

"I propose a trade," Luigi says cool although he is terrified. "Give me the princess and I'll return Junior."

"Give me Junior first," Bowser commands.

"I don't think so, you can't be trusted let Princess Daisy go then you can have your son," Luigi does not budge.

_What the heck is Luigi doing? This is strange for him…I would have never expected him to do this,_ Mario watches his brother hackle Bowser in astonishment. _Never thought he had it in him. Go bro!_

"Fine," Bowser agrees begrudged then begins to lower the copter. Daisy smiles widely thankful that the nightmare is coming to an end and Luigi cannot help but smile back thus not noticing that his bargaining chip is beginning to stir. The copter stops about ten feet away from the wall, Luigi glances at Bowser and notices the koopa's smirk causing him to worry. A second later, Junior spins knocking Luigi's legs out from under him with his tail. The green clad plumber falls back into the flowerbed full of tulips as Junior stands up.

_Well that went according to plan,_ Luigi rolls out of the flowers and groans in pain. Mario smacks his forehead with his hand.

"Nice try Mario Brother, but nothing is going to stop my Dad's plans," Junior taunts.

"Junior jump in," Bowser pulls the copter closer and Junior disappears from sight. Luigi rapidly rolls to his feet and runs toward the garden wall.

_I'm not letting you get away that easily!_ He wall jumps between the garden wall and the cherry tree. After the second bounce off the tree, Luigi flies over the garden wall and to the back of the copter. He slams into the back of the white vehicle grasping the top edge by his fingertips. The extra weight on the back slightly tips the copter back forcing it skywards.

"LUIGI, HOLD ON! I'M COMING," Mario yells in shock as he watches his brother jump onto the back of the Clown Copter. Quickly Mario resumes following the copter from the ground while trying to come up with a plan to bring the copter down.

"What the," Bowser exclaims.

"Dad it's that green guy again," Junior whines. Bowser grunts irritated, then switches on the auto pilot function. The Koopa King begins to turn around, but barely gets turned when he realizes that with this many people in the vehicle there is no space for him to move without stabbing someone with the spikes on his shell.

_Dam it,_ Bowser curses mentally. "Junior get rid of our friend back there," the larger koopa orders as he switches off the auto pilot.

"Sure Dad," Junior replies contently as he starts to wiggle his way to the back of the copter.

_I've got to do something,_ Daisy thinks as her eyes widen in worry, _because if I don't Luigi is going to end up as street pizza._ She looks around for anything that could help then her eyes focus on Bowser's back. She smirks as a plan formulates in her mind. Sidestepping toward Bowser, she finds herself next to one of his back spines. Carefully but quickly, she rubs the rope around her against the sharp point of the spike freeing herself from the ropes.

"Hey what are you doing? Stop that," Bowser yells, but is unable to do anything to stop her.

"Ow!" Luigi cries as Junior smashes his fist on Luigi's fingers.

"Leave him alone!" Daisy punches Junior in the snout, the most sensitive part of a koopa. Junior yelps in pain and holds his nose. "That's for the darts you little brat." Junior stumbles back and Daisy turns her attention to Luigi. "Luigi hold on," she exclaims as she grabs his wrists.

"I'm losing grip," the clinging man warns as his fingers begin to slip.

"What is going on back there," Bowser asks then Junior appears in his peripheral vision. "Junior?"

"She hit me in the nose and it hurts," Junior whines with tears dripping down his cheeks.

"That little harpy…" Bowser snarls.

"I'm slipping," Luigi warns again.

"I've got you," Daisy assures. His fingers finally slip and Daisy is slammed up against the inside of the copter knocking the wind out of her.

"Sorry," Luigi apologizes.

"Don't worry about it, just hold on," Daisy states.

"No one harms my son," Bowser bellows angrily as he swipes his tail across the floor, tripping Daisy. She loses grip of one of Luigi's wrists, but still has the other which causes her to fall out the back of the copter.

"Why are we here Toadsworth," Princess Peach asks impatiently as the elderly consul drags her into the botanical gardens.

"Because Princess, Bowser is out there on the loose in town and I refuse to give that brute the opportunity to snatch you once again. So I figure we will be where he will not look, here at the gardens," Toadsworth explains.

"I appreciate the concern, but we should be helping Mario."

"Mario can handle himself, he has dealt with much worse I assure you," the toad consul notes confidently. "Now let's enjoy these beautiful plants." The pair inspects the garden's rose collection when the whirl of copter blades grabs their attention. "Now what is making that noise?"

"The Koopa Copter," Peach exclaims as she spots the white cup shaped mobile in the sky.

"Oh my! How did he know," Toadsworth panics. "Quickly Princess we must evacuate!" Peach pays no heed to his warning as she watches the copter and its occupants. "Princess Toadstool," the mushroom consul scolds; "are you listening to me? We need to leave now!"

"He's not after us Toadsworth," Peach explains as she tries to identify the people in the copter noticing a splotch of yellow. "He's got Daisy! We must help her," Peach pleads.

"And draw that monster's attention to ourselves? I do not advise that Princess," Toadsworth disagrees.

Peach sighs disgruntled then notices a familiar plumber running toward them. "Mario!"

"Princess Peach we already discussed that," Toadsworth rambles then turns around and spots the red clad hero running up to them. "Master Mario?"

"Where did the copter go," Mario asks out of breath. "I lost sight of it after it flew away from the main street."

"Over there," Peach answers as she points to the odd shaped white vehicle. An inaudible bellow erupts from Bowser freezing the group in fear then they watch in dismay as daisy tumbles out of the copter and into the blue sky. She gasps now noticing that two figures are tumbling through the sky, not just one. Mario dashes off further into the park trying to intercept the falling figures before they splat on the ground.

_I'm coming little bro,_ Mario thinks determined as he picks up his pace making it difficult for the Peach and Toadsworth to follow.

Luigi grits his teeth as they continue to plummet toward the ground. _I hate heights,_ he thinks fretfully as he glances down then over to Daisy, who is also gritting her teeth and tears drip out of her eyes. He grabs her hand with his free hand drawing her attention away from the rising ground. "It'll be okay," he yells over to the sounds of rushing air, trying to reassure her.

"Okay? We're going to die," she exclaims fretfully. "I hate heights!" She anxiously grits her teeth and closes her eyes.

Luigi briefly smiles as he just thought that same thought then wills himself to look down again to check out the land. Slowly he is able to make out the layout and figures out that they are headed for the park. He sees nothing but masses of green grass surrounded by paths of brown underneath him until he looks slightly right where he notices blotches of blue, water. "Lean to the right!"

"What? Why," she asks confused then looks down. "Those are the aquatic gardens the water is probably not nearly deep enough to absorb our impact!"

"It's worth a shot isn't it? In the water, we might only break our legs instead of the alternative," Luigi reasons. The desert princess nods in agreement and they both tilt until they are situated above one of the ponds. The water's surface rushes up closer and closer and their grip on each other tightens as they brace for the worse.

Mario's eyes widen as he spots the spray of water erupt from the pond ahead of him. He sprints over and skids to a stop in front of the rail running along the perimeter of the water. Earnestly he grips the rail and swings himself over jumping into the pond. Diving under, he finds the pond is relatively deep at twenty feet and begins to scan the bottom for Luigi. He spots a flash of green and yellow hovering over the bottom and swims toward them. As he comes closer, he notices that the pair is struggling to swim upwards; Mario taps Luigi's shoulder and is met with a look of relief by his younger brother. He takes Luigi's free hand and swims upward while Luigi's other hand holds onto Daisy's dragging her upward.

Peach skids up to the rail and grips it anxiously as she intently watches the water's surface. _Come on guys…_ After what seems like hours, but only seconds later, the two brothers and the desert princess surface with a large gasp as they all inhale at the same time. "Phew," she sighs relieved as she places her hand over her heart. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Mario answers for the group as the start swimming for the edge. Mario hops over the fence first with the help of Peach then they assist Luigi and Daisy over the rail. The younger Mario Brother and the yellow clad princess collapse on the path catching their breath.

"Well that was kind of fun," Daisy smirks, "except for the being the damsel in distress thing again."

"Maybe we can switch places next time," Luigi huffs causing Daisy to chuckle.

"Fun?" Toadsworth gasps questioningly as he finally catches up to the group, "That was too close for comfort! You were lucky to slip out of that brute's grasp!"

"Oh please old Bowser, pssh he's just an overgrown grumpy turtle," Daisy dismisses. "Besides with me and Luigi working together, he didn't have a chance," Daisy brags as Luigi blushes at the compliment.

"Yes I must commend Master Luigi's swiftness to act, but he will not always be here Princess Floral, then what is to happen? The Koopa King is fiercely determined, he will return I assure you," the elderly consul warns forebodingly.

"I must agree with Toadsworth this time," Mario chimes in addressing Daisy; "Bowser is very stubborn and won't quit until he gets what he wants. Making him very dangerous as well, as he gets more and more determined with each failure."

"Then what should we do," Daisy asks slightly irritated, "I mean we can't stand around and let him come back."

"No, we need to figure out what Bowser is up to," Mario replies; "But first we should return to the castle and talk to the king." With that said the group heads back to the castle.


	18. New Arrangements

**Hey guys, sorry about the hiatus...school stuff. Not too terribly much here, kind of a short chapter sorry! Hopefully I'll get back on the ball...until next time enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Really do I have to go over this? I don't own any of the characters; they are property of Nintendo and I am not associated with the company in any: way, shape, or form.**

**Chapter 18: New Arrangements**

Waluigi unlocks the door to his room and carefully walks out into the hall. _Looks like Bowser left,_ he thinks with a sigh of relief. He heads downstairs to find the first floor a wreck. Walls and floors charred black while tables and light fixtures crushed and smashed also several of the guards are injured, limping around trying to get some help. _Geez what a mess, sure glad I wasn't down here during that ruckus._ After taking one last look around, Waluigi walks out the front door to find Madame Hyacinth with King Floral who is yelling at the head of security, Herb the grey nobokon.

"Why were we not prepared for this," the king demands irately as he combs his fingers through his salt and pepper hair.

"Well we never thought Bowser would be a threat sire," the koopa-like creature admits sheepishly.

"Well he is now isn't he? And he has my daughter, I want her found and brought back immediately!"

"Yes your Highness right away," the nokobon replies nervously then runs past Waluigi into the castle. As he disappears inside, the princes appear behind Waluigi.

"Is he gone," Toffee asks apprehensively.

"I hope so," Cashmire adds drawing the king's attention.

"You five," he bellows angrily as he stomps toward them, eyes practically shooting daggers in their direction. "How can you call yourselves noblemen? As you all hide like timid mice when trouble was afoot and innocents were in danger?" The courtiers all begin to rattle off their reasons at once which angers Thorne more. "I don't care what your excuses are! Thanks to your lack of activity my Daisy has been kidnapped by that repulsive reptile!"

"You are right your Highness," Prince Peasley steps forward. "We disgraced ourselves by acting like cowards and fools in your kingdom's time of need. If I may, I implore you to allow us the opportunity to set things right and reclaim our dignity by finding and returning your lovely daughter home to Sasaraland." The men drop their jaws in awe by Peasley's eloquent plea and quickly agree with his proposal.

"Well my guard force has sustained serious injury and the castle is in need of repair; making that a tempting offer," the king notes; "However, how am I to know that you will not all run off to never be seen again?"

"We have already disappointed you and ourselves once your majesty, we would not want to repeat such an event again," Peasley replies.

_Man he knows how to suck up,_ Waluigi observes. _At least it is getting us out of trouble._

"I think you should give them the chance Thorne," Hyacinth finally interjects.

"All right, this will be another test for you all," King Floral agrees. "One to test your endurance, strength, will and loyalty to this kingdom and my daughter, so head forth," the king decrees as he points toward town. "First you should go into town and gather some supplies as the Dark Lands are rather far from here. You will need plenty of food and water and…" Thorne stops as he notices a group of people heading toward him up the walk to the front gate.

"Grandma! Dad," Daisy exclaims as she runs away from the group and into a warm hug from her grandmother.

"Daisy! It's a miracle," Hyacinth exclaims as she hugs Daisy tighter. "I'm so happy you are okay."

"Thanks Grandma, I'm glad to be back," Daisy replies as she pulls out of a hug from Hyacinth then hugs her dad. "Sorry I made you worry."

"Nonsense, you had no control of the situation," Thorne rationalizes. "I'm just glad to have you back."

"Glad to be here," she replies happily as she pulls away from her father's embrace.

Thorne smiles at her then turns back to the suitors, "You all should be thankful that my daughter is resourceful enough to escape from Bowser's clutches by herself since obviously she could not rely on any of you for assistance."

"Uh Dad, I didn't escape by myself," Daisy interrupts the lecture causing the king to turn around.

"What? Who," then he spots Mario, Peach, Toadsworth, and Luigi standing behind her. "Oh I see, Mario you have done it again! Sasaraland owes you for your bravery and persistence."

"It wasn't me who saved your daughter sir," Mario smirks as Luigi pulls down his hat in embarrassment.

"If not you then who," the king asks perplexed.

"My brother Luigi," Mario exclaims as the king's eye twitches as he recognizes the name. "Come on Luigi, say hello," Mario insists as he drags Luigi by the arm toward the king. Luigi shrinks down nervously as Thorne glares at him, "Sorry about Luigi your Highness, he's just a little shy."

"No ears and tail today I see," King Floral notes as Mario looks at him confused. "You know I still have the shovel in the courtyard," the king states; Luigi gulps nervously and tugs at his collar.

"Dad, knock it off," Daisy directs vexed.

"But anyway," Thorne turns back to Mario, "I must ask why would the Koopa King be after my daughter?"

"I don't know," Mario admits, "I mean I've never seen him do anything that would not eventually lead to kidnapping Princess Toadstool so I have no clue."

"This is not good, I would like to know his intentions," Thorne states.

"I agree we must figure out what Bowser is up to, but in the mean time we need to come up with a plan to keep Princess Floral out of his grasp," Mario replies trying to sound formal.

"That is most important," Hyacinth interjects, "Mario would you have any suggestions?"

"Well I would recommend that you up the security of course," Mario notes.

"Yes, well with our injuries that might be a problem. Not to forget that my security staff apparently is not prepared for such a strike from the Dark Lands," Thorne states frustrated.

"In that case, I would say you need an expert," Mario replies.

"An expert," Hyacinth questions.

"Yeah someone who knows how Bowser thinks and acts so that when he does come they know what to do," Mario explains. "It works in the Mushroom Kingdom, I mean old lizard lips attacks every once in a while, but usually he aims for when I'm not around."

"Interesting," Hyacinth smirks, "but I assume you have no one we can use I mean you are too busy with the Mushroom Kingdom correct?"

"Well yeah," Mario responds.

"Is there anyone else who would be able to fill this role," King Floral asks.

"Well yeah," Mario smirks, now understanding where the conversation is going, "I have the perfect candidate."

"Well, who," Thorne asks impatiently.

"He's standing in front of you," Mario states motioning toward Luigi.

"No," Thorne states flat out.

"Why not," Mario asks impatiently. "He's dealt with Bowser with me many times!"

"Yes with you, how am I to know he can handle it himself," Thorne questions skeptically.

"He's proven that already, he saved your daughter today by himself," Mario zealously reminds.

Thorne sighs irritably as he glances back at the younger plumber, who is staring down at his feet dejectedly. _I do owe him gratitude for saving Daisy today and he would be useful in case of attack, but can I risk him interfering with Daisy's choosing of a husband?_ The king ponders as he looks over to his daughter then glances at Hyacinth remembering what she had said last night. _Her happiness, yes I should consider that even if I don't like the idea. _He sighs again as he debates in his mind the right course of action;_ Well I guess I will just have to see what happens._ "All right, I agree," King Floral concedes.

_What? NO, what are you doing? You can't let that crybaby stay here! He'll ruin everything, like he always does,_ Waluigi thinks irked as he grits his teeth. The princes mummer with disapproval except for Peasley who merely nods his head.

"Quiet back there! If you all had been men instead of mice, this would not have had to occur! Now as for you," the king turns to Luigi, "I expect you to be back within five days with everything that you need. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir," Luigi replies nervously while nodding his head.

"Excellent, hopefully by the time you return all the castle's major repairs will be complete so you have a decent room to stay in. Until then however, I bid you all farewell. Come mother, there is much work to be done." King Floral bids the group farewell then leads Hyacinth back inside past the princes.

"How could we have lost again," Bowser roars in frustration. "No matter what I do there is always a plumber in my way! GARRGH!"

"Your vileness, please calm down there must be another way," Kammy tries to calm down the ranting Koopa King.

"Another way? What other way? In order to get this stupid portal to work, we have to get the key and a female descendant; we lost both in one swoop! She had the ring around her neck and was within our grasp until that pestering green plumber interfered," Bowser growls still upset.

"Yes I understand your Grumpiness, but we have not completely failed. At least we have confirmed that the intended target is the correct princess to pursue," Kammy notes optimistically.

"Of course she was the right one! We knew that when we invaded, the goal was to capture not confirm! DO NOT TALK IN CIRCLES OLD HAG," Bowser bellows as he looses his temper.

"Oh no," Kammy whimpers knowing where this conversation is headed.

"Papa, shouldn't we try again," Bowser Jr. interrupts calming the Koopa King down. "Like you say try, try again until the opposition is crushed!"

"You are right son," Bowser concedes. "We will invade again, with more power and more troops! They will be sorry that they ever opposed the Koopa Clan!" Bowser and Junior clap and holler in excitement as the koopa witch raises her eyebrow skeptically, not liking the sound of this simple plan.

"Your Rancidness," Kammy interrupts getting a scolding glare from Bowser.

"What," the Koopa King asks vexed.

"I am pretty sure that they will be expecting another attack," Kammy notes. "I mean that is how we usually go about getting our way and the Mario Brothers know this by now. They have probably already warned the royal family of this."

Bowser nods in agreement, "I suppose you are correct. Stupid plumbers…grrr. What would you suggest then?"

"A more subtle approach," Kammy deviously proposes, "something that they will not expect…"

It is a cool, foggy morning as Mario and Luigi sleepily walk to the train station. The sun has barely peeked over the horizon at 6:45 when they plop down on a bench waiting for the train to enter the station. "Did you get (yawn) everything," Mario asks still tired from waking up at 6:00 that morning.

"Yeah, I think so," Luigi replies while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You plan on staying at the castle while I'm gone?"

"Yeah, figure that Bowser might try to invade so might as well be there just in case. Hopefully with one of us at each castle he'll think twice before trying anything fishy."

"Probably won't work," Luigi sighs as Mario tries to not nod off. "I have a feeling I won't be much of a deterrent considering I am not as strong as you."

"Weegie don't be ridiculous! Bowser doesn't want to tangle with either of us because he knows we'll win every time," Mario exclaims fervently.

"I guess," Luigi replies still uncertain then the whistle of the incoming train screeches. The pair of brothers stands up and Luigi sling a small bag over his shoulder then grabs the handle of his rollaway bag, dragging it to the edge of the platform where he waits to board.

"Well good luck," Mario wishes as he hugs Luigi. "Play nice with the princes," Mario jokingly states in a motherly tone, "you are only allowed to bully Bowser."

Luigi rolls his eyes, "I won't do anything to them. I'm not mean like that." The train doors open and Luigi steps on.

"Go get her bro," Mario encourages with a smirk.

"What? Wait Mario! That is not…" the train doors slam shut cutting Luigi off and bopping his nose at the same time. "What this is about…" he sighs to himself as he holds his throbbing nose, completely his sentence. The younger Mario brother finds a seat and shoves his luggage into the overhead compartment then sits down as the train departs from the station.

Time seems to roll by slowly as Daisy and the courtiers talk in the courtyard by the pond. She constantly checks the time waiting for noon; however, the current time is only 11:30. She stares at the water's surface as Peasley continues to describe his recent exploits in Isle Delfino during his vacation from the Beanbean Kingdom.

"Princess?"

"Um yes sorry," Daisy apologizes napping out her daze, "what were you saying?"

"I asked if you had ever endeavored in Blooper surfing," Peasley informs patiently; she shakes her head in response. "I highly suggest it, especially for an outgoing and athletic woman such as yourself. It was quite accelerating, but it takes a lot of skill to master."

"Yeah I bet it does, but then again I've never been to Isle Delfino so I wouldn't know," the Floral princess admits.

"Really? I should take you sometime," Peasley offers. "They have the most beautiful pristine beaches and bluest water I've ever seen."

"I don't know; not too terrible fond of the tropics, but I do like to swim."

"Well in that case," Pine interrupts, "if you are not a fan of the topical he you should visit my kingdom. It doesn't get much warmer than 70 degrees in the summer time, but it is rather chilly during the winter, we are slightly northward." Daisy nods as he continues, "Anyway, swimming is our kingdom's official sport."

"Really," Daisy responds intrigued.

"Yeah so we have numerous swimming pools. From outdoor pools and ponds to inside heated pools, perfect for swimmers who want to stay indoors," Pine beams.

"Might have to look into that," the desert princess alludes as she turns and looks at Waluigi sitting alone leaning against the willow tree staring out into space with a look of contempt on his face. "Have you traveled anywhere exotic Waluigi," she asks hoping to get him involved in the group.

"Yeah some places, but why sit here and blather on about other places when we are perfectly content here," he responds dourly.

"Don't you think its fun to explore new places and take in different cultures," Daisy questions.

"Nah, I'm good with what I've got, except for the lack of funds of course," he replies nonchalantly as Daisy shakes her head and rolls her eyes in disbelief. The sound of the patio doors opening draws the princess's attention away; her grandmother emerges from inside the castle.

"Daisy its time to go," the elderly Floral calls.

Daisy lifts her eyes surprised, "What time is it?"

"11:45 dear," Hyacinth replies.

_Wow that was quick,_ she muses, _but that's fine! Off to the station finally!_ "Bye guys," she bids farewell to the princes and walks up to her grandmother when her father appears behind Hyacinth.

"And where do you think you're going," he asks sternly.

"To the station to pick up Luigi," the desert princess answers bluntly.

"You still have one more day in the castle before you can leave," he states unwavering.

"Are you serious? Come on Dad, don't you think that this punishment is a little extreme and ridiculous," Daisy questions skeptically.

"No I do not," Thorne replies sternly, "that is why I want the princes to go to the station and pick up our friend."

An expression of worry flushes onto Daisy's face, "The princes?" She glances over to Waluigi who has a devilish smirk on his face and a glint in his eyes. "Shouldn't Grandma go with them so they don't get lost?"

"Nonsense they will be fine; they should remember where to go from the tour you gave them," Thorne dismisses. "Besides we will be helping to prepare lunch for everyone so off to the kitchen. Have fun boys, hurry back," Thorne calls out oddly chipper, as he leads the two women back into the castle. Daisy drags her feet, as she bites her lower lip in concern hoping that Waluigi did not have any mischievous plan in mind, but knowing that he does.


	19. Strange Encounters Not of the Third Kind

**Hey guys, wow it has really been a while. Well hopefully this makes up for my absence; I have been working on it I swear I have. It is kind of a mish-mashed chapter, lots of different things going on, but we'll see how it bodes with you guys. Well anyway enough of my rambling enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Really now, I think we all get the idea.**

**Chapter 19: Strange Encounters, Not of the Third Kind**

The screech of the train's whistle stirs Luigi from his nap. "Approaching Floral Village Station; be prepared to depart in five minutes," the conductor announces over the intercom. Luigi yawns and rubs the sleep out of his eyes then turns to look at the window to find the sparsely grassy desert land of Sasaraland span out before him. The train begins to slow down, throwing the passengers slightly forward as the brakes are applied; then comes to a complete stop. The intercom crackles as the conductor turns it on again, "Floral Village, Floral Village Station!"

_Well I'm here, _Luigi takes a deep breath, _Here goes nothing._ He stands up and reaches underneath his seat for his duffle and slings it over his shoulder then overhead for his large rollaway suitcase. Slowly he makes his way out of the train and steps off onto the platform. A cool breeze rolls through the station reminding everyone that autumn draws near. Luigi smiles as the breeze hits his face then proceeds to look around for whoever is going to take him to the castle. _If there was a woman in a bright yellow dress that would make my day,_ Luigi thinks as a small smile plays across his lips. That smile quickly disappears as he spots his lanky cousin along with four other guys; only one he actually recognizes._ What are they doing here? They can't be here for me; no, they must be here to get someone else… _At that moment Waluigi spots his green clad cousin and grins mischievously as he waves. Luigi feels a knot form at the pit of his stomach as he realizes, _dang they are here for me._

"Mister Luigi," Prince Peasley calls, "we are here to take you to the castle!" With a disgruntled sigh Luigi walks over to the group. "We are glad you made your trip safely," Peasley adds with a genuine smile.

"Thanks," Luigi replies as he glances over at Waluigi cautiously, "glad to be here."

"Well let us make our way back to the castle for lunch so you can regale us with your tales of adventure!" Peasley leads the way with Pine and Toffee following close behind. Luigi falls behind them as Waluigi and Cashmire bring up the rear.

"So what's the plan," Cashmire whispers to Waluigi. The Wario brother does not reply, instead he speeds up leaving Cashmire confused. The lanky man speed walks until he is right behind his cousin toward the left away from the rolling suitcase and quickly hooks his foot around Luigi's ankle. The younger Mario Brother trips and lands flat on his face.

"Cousin you should be more careful! Don't want everyone to think you are complete klutz do you," Waluigi asks mockingly. "Here let me help you up." He reaches down and grabs Luigi's arm then pulls him up. "Listen here cous., because I'm only going to warn you once," Waluigi whispers malevolently, "I worked hard to get here so don't think you can just waltz in here and screw all of us over. Keep your distance." Luigi glares back at his elven cousin, unsure whether to quip back or just to remain silent. "Glad we are at an understanding," Waluigi finishes as he lets go of Luigi's arm and falls back with Cashmire once again.

"Are you alright Mr. Luigi," Prince Pine asks taking cue from Peasley's earlier reference to the green clad plumber.

"I'm alright just a little clumsy that's all," Luigi replies forcing a smile as he dusts off his suspenders. The group continues to travel on into town, separated in their previous cluster formation; Luigi continuously looking back, eyeing his cousin with suspicion. _I knew that I would not the most welcomed person, but I didn't expect that; such a blunt warning. That's not Waluigi's style, usually he likes to tease and taunt me; not be so up front about things. He's taking this one seriously._

"We are here," Peasley chirpily announces to the group as they make their way up the front walk. He opens the door and leads the group into the foyer which looks as impressive as it did a week ago; not looking like it had suffered any sort of attack at all.

Chizer emerges from the right startling the group, "Mister Luigi Mario I presume?"

"Um yes, that's me," Luigi answers nervously.

"Welcome to Floral Castle, if you would let me take your bags the king is awaiting for you all out in the courtyard," the mushroom looking vizier informs as he grabs the handle of the rolling suitcase with his mouth and drags it toward the stairs.

"Lunch must be ready," Peasley observes, "follow me Mister Luigi." The bean prince leads the group to the glass patio doors that open to the courtyard. As they enter the courtyard, the group spots the royal family sitting at a large, white wire table set near the edge of the pond underneath the willow tree, providing some shade. King Thorne sits at the head of the rectangular table with Hyacinth to his right while Daisy is on the left, sitting toward the tree. "Looks like we have returned just in time for a delicious lunch," Peasley happily notes causing those sitting to look up.

"I see our guest has arrived safely," Thorne observes flatly as he sips coffee out of his cup.

"Good afternoon, King Floral, Madame Hyacinth, D-D-D-aisy, I mean Princess Daisy," Luigi stammers timidly.

"Nice to see you again Luigi, please sit down," Hyacinth pats the chair next to her. "And don't bother with formalities we are all friends here," she offers with a genuine smile. The green clad plumber returns the smile and takes a seat along with the remaining five gentlemen.

"Well not all of us," Thorne coolly remarks. Waluigi and Cashmire snicker while the other three look around uncomfortably and Luigi despondently frowns.

"Dad," Daisy snaps angrily causing Thorne to roll his eyes in response; "He just got here would it kill you to be nice?"

"I am treating him just like I do them," he motions toward Peasley, Pine, Toffee, Cashmire, and Waluigi. "It is only fair."

The desert princess narrows her eyes and scowls making it quite clear that she did not believe her father at all. Before the argument spiraled any further, Chizer returns to the table with a couple of nokobon waiters, supplied from the castle's kitchen staff, carrying lunch.

"Chicken gyros with sautéed mushrooms and sesame sauce," the chibibo vizier announces as the waiters place a plate in front of each person. "Please enjoy," he notes as he turns to tend to other matters.

"Thank you Chizer," Hyacinth yells after the chibibo consul before turning back to her plate. "Well let's enjoy shall we?" The rest of lunch is eaten in virtual silence except for the occasional conversation between Hyacinth and Thorne giving slight reprieve from the uncomfortable tension. As they all stand to leave, King Floral summons Chizer once more to escort Luigi on a quick tour of the castle, thus beginning the splintering of the group; as the plumber heads off with the vizier, the princes head to their respective rooms, the king and former queen also head indoors to tend to royal matters, and the flower princess makes a break for her garden; unwittingly accompanied…

After brushing through the forsythia bushes and shutting the gate, Daisy walks over in front of her cherry blossom tree and sits at the foot of it. She leans back; resting herself on her outstretched arms and lays her legs extended in front of her; a very unlady like pose. She lets out a sigh, _Fathers,_ and then shakes her head in disbelief. _I can understand that okay maybe he feels threatened with Luigi around as his precious plan is at stake, but he can at least e an adult and not play favorites._ Another sigh, _This is my father though so that's not going to happen._ She readjusts and leans her weight against the tree trunk along with her head; a cool breeze whimsically blows through her hair and against her face, bringing relief from the humid air and a smile to the desert princess's face. Suddenly she feels something grasp her left upper arm, the relieved smile quickly changing to a surprised and concerned scowl. Instinctively she shoots up onto her feet and turns to the tree, but finds nothing. Daisy cautiously loops around the tree checking to make sure no one was hiding from her. Again finding nothing, she walks toward the outer wall listening for any movement. Again she senses nothing and heaves a sigh of relief, _I am being paranoid,_ she reassures her self half-heartily as she recalls the invasion and her encounter with Bowser Jr. in this very courtyard. As she takes a calming breath, her upper arm is grasped once more. Before she can react, she is jerked back and turned completely around. She finds herself in an embrace with someone; her head situated on the other's chest.

"Isn't this nice how we are getting closer and closer," the mystery man asks; immediately identifying himself due to his distinct voice.

Daisy narrows her eyes and scowls, feeling her personal space violated, then shoves the presumptuous man back. "Waluigi what the hell? You just can't go around grabbing people from behind like that!" She scolds angrily as she clinches her fists, ready to punch him at the drop of a hat.

"What," he asks guilelessly as he snakes his arm around her waist, "I was under the impression we were under more friendly circumstances since the ball." He waggles his eyebrows and grins widely as he pulls her close again. "You know how we have opened up to one another."

Daisy scoffs, "One in depth conversation does not entitle you the liberty to grab me from behind." She extends her arms pushing him back to arm's length. "And for you information, we are not that close."

"I beg to differ," the purple clad Wario Brother states smugly, "as I know, although you don't want to admit it, you are as attracted to me as I am to you."

"Ha! Are you kidding me? I'm not attracted to you at all string bean," Daisy defies.

"Come off it princess," Waluigi retorts as he slides his hands up her arms to her back as he steps in closer to her. His hands grazing up her arms sends chills up her spine, her outstretched arms bend allowing him to close the space between them until he had her in a close embrace with his head situated beside hers. "You already have a pet name for me it is only a matter of time before you give in. Women like you don't want a pansy prince; women like you crave rebels, people who break rules to bring excitement into life," h breathes into her ear sending more chills down her spine. "Those prissy princes in there can't satisfy that craving, but I can," he coos then begins kissing her neck.

Daisy lets out a surprised gasp and lushes as his lips make contact with her neck. "You're wrong," she stammers, "I've dated that type before, you all bring nothing but trouble."

He chuckles, "Isn't that the point?"

_Sadly yes,_ the Floral princess agrees in her mind. "I'm not looking for trouble or 'excitement' of that type anymore," she squirms causing him to stop hovering on her neck and face her once more. "I want someone who is kind, considerate, and stable," she states with conviction.

"I think that is what this wants," Waluigi moves his right hand from her back and taps her temple. "But this," he places his hand on her chest, "wants that excitement."

"No it doesn't," Daisy quickly retorts as she pushes his hand away. "Listen this is not going to happen, no matter what you say."

Again he chuckles, "Ah yes I know how stubborn you are and you will not be persuaded by what I say, but that's fine; I prefer the more direct approach anyway."

"Direct approach," Daisy questions as Waluigi raises his right hand and caresses her face. "What are you," she tries to ask when she is cut off by him planting his lips on hers. _What the hell_, she screams panicked. Her first knee jerk reaction is to kick him in the shine and curse him until her face turned blue, but she resists finding that she was enjoying herself.

Finding no resistance, Waluigi goes for broke; wrapping his arms tighter around her, he maneuvers his tongue beyond her teeth and entwines it with hers. Surprisingly she reciprocates as she grabs his suspender straps and pulls herself closer. _Heh didn't expect it to be this easy,_ Waluigi muses, _I've got her eating right out of the palm of my hand._

_What am I doing? I am falling right back into the same trap as I always stupidly do,_ Daisy berates herself. _I don't feel this way about Waluigi, I am just letting myself get swept away by the moment again. Geez how many times has this scene played out before? Too many times, not this time!_ She shoves him back, "This is stopping now."

"Does it," he challenges as he goes in for another smooch. This time; however, Daisy avoids his pursuing lips and is able to push him away.

"Yes it does," Daisy asserts putting her foot down. "I don't feel that way about you, so this is not going to happen; end of story."

"That kiss states otherwise sweet cakes," Waluigi retorts; Daisy glares at him in response. "So you might as well just send those other losers home and declare me the winner."

"You'd like that wouldn't you, but guess what not going to happen because you're not going to win. Nice to know that that's all you're here for though; thanks for letting my know I'm just a tool for you to win this stupid contest that in actuality means nothing! Typical meathead male! Urgh, just get out of my face; I'm done with you," she snaps.

"Oh don't be all melodramatic about this, you know I wouldn't have bothered if you weren't involved in the package," Waluigi notes. "Now why don't we kiss and make-up?"

He leans toward her, lips puckered; she glares at him and grunts irked, "How about no?"

"Fine, be that way," he sneers. "But we all know you will be back for more," he notes arrogantly with a smug grin. His grin quickly disappears as she slaps him across the face.

"Don't assume you know me because you have no freakin' clue who I am! Now like I said before get out of my sight," she demands. He grumbles irritated under his breath as he makes his way out of the garden. Daisy watches him leave, still fuming and after waiting a couple of minutes, stomps up to her room and slams the door behind her.

"And this is where your room is," Chizer explains as he opens the dark wood door to reveal a good sized room; no windows, but a full size bed, with a blue and white color scheme, a night stand sets next to it and on the opposite side of the room a matching dresser sets next to the door to the closet. "That wraps up the tour, do you have any questions," Chizer asks while Luigi responds with only a head shake. "I do hope these are suitable accommodations for you Mr. Luigi."

"Oh yes, this is perfect," Luigi replies gratefully.

"Good, good," Chizer notes somewhat relieved. "Well if you are in need of anything feel free to call upon myself or any of the servants around the castle.

"Uh okay," Luigi scratches the back of his head uncomfortably, "I'm use to helping myself…"

"Nonsense, you are a special guest so you are entitled to any help you wish," Chizer reassures. As Luigi nods in acceptance, a muffled yet audible, frustrated scream interrupts the conversation.

"What was that," Luigi ponders aloud; "It sounds like it came from down the hall."

"The princess must be upset again," Chizer sighs. "She does that when she gets really frustrated, I guess it helps her relieve stress or something."

Luigi shoots a befuddled glance toward the chibibo, "Daisy?"

"Yes well, due to your specific job position your room is down the hall from Princess Floral's," the chibibo clarifies.

"Really? My room is down the hall from Daisy? Where is everyone else," Luigi inquires.

"Well the suitors are in the other wing and the former queen and king have their own suites. Don't get any ideas," Chizer jabs eyeing the plumber suspiciously with a grin.

"Oh no, I wouldn't do anything like that," Luigi quickly and embarrassed assures as his cheeks blush bright cherry red.

"Uh huh," Chizer mummers authoritatively, but still cracking a smile. "All right, well I will leave you to unpack your luggage. Dinner is served at seven o' clock sharp in the dining hall."

"Right, thank you," Luigi adds as he steps through the door into his room.

"You are quite welcome," Chizer replies then disappears down the hall to tend other business in the castle.

Luigi turns his attention to his suitcases lying on the bed. He quickly goes through the larger suitcase as he meticulously puts clothes into the dresser. Finally after placing everything neatly in place, he finishes by shoving the empty bags underneath the bed then flops onto the soft mattress. _Well this is a very nice room, probably bigger than Mario's and mine._ He sighs, _this is just weird I'm use to being the one left at home, yet here I am. I guess I should welcome the change, I am always gripping about not being able to go out on the adventures, but at this rate I'm going to go nuts! I am just laying here with not even housework to occupy me._ He heaves another sigh as he tries to find a way to entertain himself._ Hmm, I wonder what that scream was about earlier, maybe I should check on her; technically it is part of my 'job' right? More importantly though that's what a friend would do,_ he corrects himself as he jumps to his feet and makes his way down the hall.

_What am I doing here,_ the younger Mario Brother nervously thinks as he wrings his hands staring at the dark wood door in front of him. _Calm down, I'm here to be a friend remember? Oh, I had to find something to do didn't I? I should just turn around and go back to my room…_

_Hmm, trying to be a good friend? Pssh, who are you trying to convince,_ a darker mental voice asks. _From here it looks like someone is looking to get some action, not just relief from boredom…_

_You! Who let you out? I buried you, now get back down in the dark depths of my unconscious and stay there! No one asked for your opinion_, Luigi yells at his darker counterpart.

_Pssh please, you need my opinion; hell you need me! Look at yourself, shaking like a leaf at just the prospect of talking to this woman. Geez, when I was in charge you were so much cooler and confident._

_Yeah and all the dimensions and worlds were almost destroyed as well thanks to your 'leadership',_ Luigi reminds bitterly, _so I'll be the one staying in charge around here thank you!_

_Fine stay like this: a weak, pathetic, overshadowed sidekick, but hear this, one day the Green Thunder will reign once again. Your defenses will drop sooner or later and that is when I'll strike!_

"That will never happen! Now go back under your rock and stay there!" Luigi unexpectedly yells then quickly covers his mouth. _Great, now I look crazy yelling at a voice in my head._

The door opens, "Luigi? Are you alright? Who were you talking to?"

He turns hand still over his mouth, to find Daisy standing in the doorway with a perplexed look on her face. "Oh no one," he blushes profusely feeling stupid as he tries to play it off with an embarrassed grin.

"Okay…" Daisy replies still puzzled. "Hey wasn't Chizer showing you around the caste?"

"Uh yeah, but he finished with my room, which is just down the hall," Luigi replies as he points in that direction.

"Really? That's awesome," Daisy smiles causing Luigi to relax slightly.

"Yeah, well I was down there when I heard you scream, so I came to see if you were okay."

Daisy flushes embarrassed, "Yeah I'm alright, it was nothing."

"You sure? You sounded pretty angry," Luigi notes. "I thought maybe you need to talk to a friend. Granted Peach probably would be a better choice, but I'd thought I'd offer."

_Aww, that's so thoughtful._ "You're such a good friend Luigi. Sure I'd love to talk," Daisy accepts gratefully, "would you like to come in?"

"Huh me," the plumber nervously points to himself, "in your room?"

"Well yeah silly, I thought we could talk somewhere comfortable instead of standing in the hall," Daisy teases.

"Oh right," Luigi accepts while fidgeting then slowly steps into the room; Daisy closes the door behind them. The green clad plumber stands uncomfortably by the door as he looks around the room. _Wow it's so big and bright. Hey cool she has a balcony that must be nice._

Daisy passes him and sits down on the edge of her bed. "You can sit down over here, you don't have to stand in the corner like that," Daisy offers with a smile motioning for the timid man to sit next to her.

"Alright," the younger Mario Brother accepts then walks over and sits down on the vibrantly colored bed next to the desert princess. "This is a comfy mattress," he notes as he sinks down, "a lot softer than my bed." _Comfy mattress? What was that? Get to the heart of the situation man!_ Luigi berates himself for his nervous habits. "Well anyway," he transitions as he faces her, "what's wrong?"

"Well you're going to think this is stupid girl stuff," Daisy notes trying to find the nerve to start.

"Nah, if it is important to you then its important to me," Luigi unexpectedly states as he is entranced by her eyes like the first time they meet long ago. Realizing what he just said, he blushes and laughs nervously.

"Aww, that's so nice!" Daisy notes happily as she smiles gratefully. "See it is comments like that that make you so easy to talk to. That and the fact you listen, unlike so many guys out there. But I guess I should get on with it," Daisy says trying to get back on track. "Well I after we all ate lunch I went to my garden and was relaxing when I was grabbed from behind." Daisy notices Luigi's eyes widen in concern, "It was Waluigi."

"What? Why was he in your garden," the green garbed plumber asks concerned and irked.

"Well he, he," she stammers unsure she how to or if she wanted to continue, "oh boy. Well he was there to persuade me to pick him for this stupid experiment; which I would expect, but it was how he went about it I guess that caught me off guard." The desert princess pauses and glances up at the man across from her who is hanging on her every word. "Okay I'm just going to blurt it out; he, he, kissed me. Ick, I feel like a need a shower now."

"He did what?"

"He grabbed me from behind and was talking to me about how 'my type' always go for the 'bad boy' then he started kissing my neck and finally an actual kiss," she rambles quickly showing her discomfort on the subject. The yellow clad princess gulps and stares down at her orange comforter not wanting to look up and see the look on Luigi's face, which she figured is either one of disgust or disappointment. "I just froze and didn't know what to do until I got a hold of myself and finally pushed him back. It just frustrates me that he assumes he knows me by classifying me as a 'type'. I slapped him for that and sent him away, but I can't help but wonder if he is right. All of my relationships have been the same thing: the same type of guy, the same outcome, and the same disappointment. What if I am doomed to this vicious cycle of bad relationships? Am I that predictable and am I just this 'type' of girl that will never learn?" She finally looks up to the younger Mario Brother sitting across from her, noticing the puzzled and uncomfortable look on his face she tries to lighten up the mood. "Yeah I guess this was a Peach conversation; sorry I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. If you want to go unpack or something I understand," the desert princess offers as she looks away cursing herself mentally for blurting all that out. Suddenly she feels something grasp her hand; she turns and finds his hand on hers then looks up at him.

"I might not be Peach, but I think I can help a little," Luigi states softly then continues. "You are not doomed and you are definitely not predictable. I mean, I, I, find it hard to predict what you will do and I like that about you," he finishes quietly. She smiles in response, so he decides to go on, "By the sound of it, I would say you have learned when you slapped him and sent him packing."

They both chuckle, "Yeah I guess you are right," she concedes. "Thank you for listening," she notes gratefully, "even if it was uncomfortable for you."

"No problem, that's what good friends are for," Luigi replies sincerely.

"No that's what great friends are for," she corrects as she leans over and hugs him; her arms latched around his neck. He mummers in surprise, but then return the hug resting his arms around her abdomen. "You're such a great guy Luigi, which is why I don't understand why you haven't been snatched by some girl yet," she compliments.

"They all want Mario," Luigi jokes bringing a smile to her face.

"Well they are all crazy because they don't know what they are passing up," she loosens up on the tight hug, bringing herself back far enough to look him in the face. "Not that I mind, those bimbos can keep their hands to themselves," she jokingly states, "as my body guard is off limits." She winks playfully causing him to smile. "That off limits to everyone, but me," she seductively adds.

Luigi gulps loudly, nervousness once again taking over. "Well I am at your service," he replies apprehensively as his heart pounds heavily, his cheeks flush burgundy red and sweat profusely gathers on his brow.

"At my service huh? Do you realize how dangerous it is to utter those words to me? You could end up regretting saying that," she warns as she brings her hands up from the base of his neck to the back of his head. "Or not," she whispers as she leans toward him.

"Daisy are you sure? I, don't want to push…" his sentence trails off as she pulls toward him. Heart beat accelerates as he feels her breath on his face; his breathing heavier as the smell of her citrus lip gloss becomes stronger; finally his eyelids become heavy as she closes in. Their lips almost touch when the door slams open; the sudden sound sends them both jumping in surprise, Luigi more so than Daisy. He ends up sliding off the bed and crashing to the floor, but quickly returns to his feet, attention faced toward the door. Daisy cannot help but chuckle at the stumbling plumber, but her laughter is cut short when she turns her attention to the doorway. Chizer stands with a smug grin on his face.

"Princess Floral, the king requests your presence in the throne room," the chibibo vizier states.

"Alright Chizer, I'm coming," she sighs as she stands up. "It was nice talking to you Luigi," Daisy notes with a smile. "I'll talk to you later," she promises as she exits the room and heads toward the throne room.

"I thought I told you to not get any ideas," Chizer heckles causing Luigi to blush furiously. He pulls down his hat trying to hide his face as he heads back to his own room.


	20. Fair Games

**Hey guys, I know I know it's been too long. I admit that, I'm getting back into the swing of it, there should be a new chapter pretty soon considering its mostly written already! Keep hanging in there folks, I do appreciate hearing from you guys, makes my writing better. So without further ado, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Yes, we all know I own nothing… I'm going to stop writing this sometime, but I like to be covered.**

**Chapter 20: Fair Games**

The days slowly pass in the castle, at least from Daisy's perspective as she roams around the castle and village, provided with her father's permission and the accompaniment by either one or several of the princes. She does not mind hanging out with them; at least some of them, but of course the person she would rather hang out with seems to be off limits to her. After her near kiss, her almost kiss, her so-close-yet-so-far kiss she has noticed that Chizer is keeping a much closer watch upon her green clad friend. A guard now roams the hallway almost constantly and from sunrise until sunset the chibibo vizier had Luigi working, supervising, or checking upon something; basically keeping him busy and unavailable to her. Despite this new development, Daisy is ecstatic as today is the kickoff for the Floral Festival which she has been looking forward to for months. _I can't wait to go out to the festival tonight; to experience the food, music, rides! Not to mention a break from the usual castle humdrum. _She excitedly smiles at the thought when Chizer knocks on her door and peers in.

"Princess Daisy, dinner is served," he informs.

"Alright, I'm coming," she answers as she hops off her orange bed and heads over to her dresser to brush her hair before heading to the dining room. As she enters the large eating quarters, she notices all of the courtiers are already sitting down; each of them slouched over with an exhausted tinge of red to their cheeks and sweat cooling on their brows. Daisy takes her normal seat across from her grandmother as her father enters and takes his seat at the head of the table. As soon as he sits down the servants quickly enter and place dinner on the table and vanish just as quickly.

"It has been quite a busy day hasn't it," Thorne asks aloud as all the guys begin to devour their food as if they had not been fed in days.

Daisy glances down at the suitors and notices that one seat remains empty; a state which is quickly becoming commonplace. "What has everyone been doing all day? It's been really quiet around here today, except for that banging I heard earlier while I was in the kitchen," she asks curious as to the princes' behavior.

"I took the boys down to show them some of the more humbling work of a king," Thorne grins mischievously as the suitors sigh exhausted.

"Humble more like back breaking," Waluigi grumbles irately.

The king throws an annoyed glare toward the purple clad man and continues, "We took a trip over to the Chai River Dam construction project."

"Oh yeah, the new dam for the Hydroelectric Energy Plan you started last year right," Daisy asks, surprised she remembered the name.

"That's the one," Thorne smiles. "Looks like you have been paying attention after all."

Daisy sheepishly grins as she recalls numerous occasions of sitting at the table drifting off into daydreams as her father droned on about some royal matter; the scolding she would always get when he caught her daydreaming. 'How are you going to be a good queen if you do not heed interest in the needs of the kingdom and the people? What am I going to do with you?'

She shakes the thought from her mind, "So what exactly did you guys do down at the dam?"

"Well I discussed the progress of the project and possible altercations to the design while…"

"While we slaved away draggin rocks and shit everywhere," Cashmire complains vexed aloud.

"There will be NONE of that language in my castle understood," King Floral scolds the Tarponion prince.

"Sorry your majesty," Cashmire quickly apologizes and cowers in fear of further wrath from the Sasaraland king.

"The princes assisted the workers, which is to remind them that they serve not only to lead a kingdom but to serve to the people and their needs as well," Thorne emphasizes as he glares disapprovingly at Cashmire.

"Sounds exciting," Daisy notes, breaking the tension at the table. "What about that banging sound that I mentioned earlier? What was that," Daisy asks as her eyes roam over the empty seat once more.

The king sighs as he follows her line of sight, "Our guest volunteered to assist with some maintenance work in the castle. Mainly fixing the plumbing, hence the banging you heard."

"Volunteered? More like volun-told," Hyacinth interjects. Thorne darts an irritated look toward his mother, "I was merely kidding, no need to get huffy."

"Well anyway," Daisy interrupts trying to change the topic, "tonight is the kickoff for the Floral Festival so I was wondering who was going to go with me tonight?"

The suitors groan causing Daisy's excited smile to drop into a dejected frown. "I am afraid that is not going to happen tonight dear, I guess I wore them out today," Thorne replies trying to explain the groaning.

"Alright that's fine, it won't be as fun by myself, but I'm sure I'll find somebody there to tag along with," she replies nonchalantly.

"Daisy, you can't go out by yourself it's too dangerous!"

"But I always go, that's practically part of the kickoff ceremonies! They always introduce me then compel me to give a speech and socialize for an hour or so until finally I go around and enjoy the festivities while mingling with the villagers!"

"I understand that, but this year it's complicated with the possibility of an attack by the Darkland. I can't let you go by yourself and no one is able to go with you so you will have to forego it this year," Thorne sternly informs.

"Fine. May I be excused," Daisy asks curtly.

"Thorne, are you sure she cannot go," Hyacinth interjects, hating to see her granddaughter angry.

"Not alone she cannot," the king firmly stands.

"What if she found someone to go with her," the former queen prods.

The Floral king sighs once more, "I guess that would be fine, but it would have to be someone responsible." Hyacinth smiles satisfied and looks to her granddaughter. Daisy gives a mute nod to the king and former queen then disappears up the stairs.

An hour later, the green clad plumber trudges up the cold stone stairs ascending from the basement. In one hand he grasps the handle of a red, metal toolbox while the other wipes a rag across his forehead. _Man they weren't kidding about the plumbing needing some work! Those connectors were practically ready to fall off._ As he opens the door connecting the kitchen and basement, the smell of dinner already past hits him immediately. The lingering smell spurs his stomach to grumble in hunger. _Man, a cheeseburger sounds great right about now. Hey I could stop by the Gira's Grill again and get something; I'm sure no one would care if I slipped out for an hour or two._ He rushes through the kitchen and up the stairs to his room to clean up and change his dirty overhauls for a clean pair. _There much better, now to find Chizer and tell him where I'm going. The last thing I want is a lecture from him or the king about not telling anyone where I'm going._

The night air carries a slight chill causing the desert princess to shiver. Her eyes rove over the village and fix upon the park in the distance. A glow rises from the park as the decorative lights and many rides of the festival flicker on. _It's 7:30_, Daisy guesses as she watches the red, orange, and yellow lights of the ferris wheel flash on and begin to rotate as the operators perform a test run. _Stupid boys, how can they be too tired to go have fun?_ She sighs, _Ah well, I guess the view from here will have to do. Although it's nothing close to being there,_ she thinks as she brushes away some leaves from the wall ledge she is sitting on. The bored princess continues to stare out at the park until the clunk of the castle's main entrance snaps her out of her trance. Light whistling follows the slamming of the main gate along with soft footsteps which slowly grew louder. Carefully, Daisy peers over the edge down to the street below. The source of whistling and footsteps soon becomes apparent and she smiles as she recognizes the green hat bounding towards her. "Hey! Where are you going," she shouts startling the plumber.

"Daisy!?! Where are you," Luigi asks as he looks around confused.

"Up here," she replies cheerily and waves at him. "Long time no see, stranger."

"Oh there you are, hi. What are you doing up there?"

"Watching the festival rides being set up," Daisy answers as she glances back toward the park and notices the sky blue ands purple lights of the roller coaster flash on.

"Wait festival; like the one that you've been talking about for the past month," the green clad Mario Brother asks, confusion still apparent in his voice.

"One in the same," the yellow clad princess replies still watching the coaster. "Unfortunately I can't go this year unless I have an escort," she notes sourly. "It's too dangerous," she air quotes as she imitates her father. "The pansy princes are too tired to go have fun so here I am," she pouts.

"Hmm, they have food at the festival right? Cheeseburgers maybe," Luigi asks with a grin.

"There's food, but no cheeseburgers. They usually have samples of food from each of the kingdoms; stuff like fried fish and rice balls, but also some festival favorites like corndogs," she replies.

"Well I'm sold then," he smiles broadly as she looks at him perplexed. "As long as you let me get something to eat I'll go with you to the festival."

"Really," Daisy squeaks excitedly; "Lets go! Oh wait, give me a couple of minutes I need to go do something real quick." She slips off the wall edge and out of sight then disappears into the castle. Rushing through the hallway and up the stairs, she makes her way to the west wing of the castle where her father and grandmother's rooms are. She stops at the first door and knocks lightly.

"Yes," Hyacinth answers her voice slightly hoarse as if she is groggy.

"Grandma? It's me."

"Daisy, come in sweetie," she invites warmly then watches the brunette open the door and step inside. "What do you need?"

"I just came to tell you that I'm going to the festival…"

"Daisy, sweetie you can't go sneaking out like that; I know you want to go, but you need to listen to your father on this one," Hyacinth warns.

"Grandma I'm not sneaking out, Luigi is going to take me," Daisy replies.

"Oh, I see," she grins mischievously, "well you have fun then; don't stay out too late."

"I won't, thanks Grandma," she replies as she walks across the room to hug Hyacinth. "Have a good night, love you."

"You have a good night too, love you bye," Hyacinth says as she watches Daisy leave. The former queen smirks, _Thorne is not going to like this. Tomorrow morning shall be interesting._

Daisy remerges from the castle and meets back up with Luigi, "Ready to go?" He simply nods in response then is dragged by the arm by the excited princess to the park.

Both food stands and game booths line the sides of the walkway leading into the chaotic center of the festival. At the very end of the line of booths on the right with the rest of the game booths, a group of nokobons locate their booth and begin setting up. "Here we are boys," a purple shelled nokobon calls to the group, "Time to set up shop!" The other nokobons groan in irritation and begin hauling the cargo into the booth. "Now be careful with that!" The elderly nokobon shouts at a pair of green shelled nokobons carrying a large piece of furniture with a burlap cloth draped over it.

"Stupid snaggletoothed witch," one murmurs under his breath.

"You got something to say sonny the say it so I can hear you!"

"This is stupid! Why are we here at a festival when we could be doing something important like guarding the border against intruders or working on plans for the next invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom," the worker steams and is quickly hushed by the purple shelled nokobon.

"Keep your voice down idiot! Do you want to give us away? This is a covert operation in the pursuit of gaining control of the Mushroom Kingdom! King Bowser personally has sent us out here to do this you twit! Now shut up, suck it up, and get the prizes in place," she hisses vehemently.

The scolded worker quickly goes back to work and within fifteen minutes he and the others finish setting up the booth. Three prizes line the back of the booth while a simple crank wheel sets beside a table with piles of pens and stacks of slips of paper stacked upon it. "We're finished Kammy," a red nokobon whispers to the purple shelled nokobon.

"Excellent, now all we have to do is wait."

Her vivid orange shoes clap loudly on the concrete underneath the picnic bench as Daisy waits impatiently for Luigi to finish his food. "Had enough," she asks as she watches him place the stick of his fifth corndog down on his napkin.

"Yeah that should hold me over," the younger Mario Brother replies with a smile. "That really hit the spot, probably should hold off on the rides for a little bit though."

"That's fine, we need to find Mr. Kepler anyways," Daisy notes.

"Who?"

"Mr. Kepler is the gao that runs the festival every year," she explains. "He likes to have me speak on the first day every year, its kind of a tradition."

"Okay where do we find him?"

"I'm hoping by the stage, that's where he usually is setting it up for the musicians that perform. Only one way to find out, lets go!" Once again she grabs the plumber by the arm and drags him to their next destination.

An hour later, Daisy gives her commencement speech which excites the crowd; giving the already cheerful crowd festival more of an animated glow. The princess exits the stage and meets back up with her friend. "Nice speech," he compliments with a smile.

"Thanks, it's basically the same each year," she winks devilishly causing him to laugh.

"Tsk tsk princess," he playfully scolds.

"Yeah I know, I'm a bad girl," she responds just as playful. "So which ride first?"

"Um, uh I don't know…Ladies choice," the green clad plumber answers.

She smiles wickedly, "You're going to regret that, because I say the rollercoaster!"

Luigi gulps, "Rollercoaster?"

"Yep right over there," she points to a small, steel coaster with a couple of high drops and a sloping series of turns. "It's not that bad, I promise," she reassures him as his brow knits with concern.

"I'm going to trust you on that I have a pretty sensitive stomach…" They hop into the coaster's line and are being seated in less than a half hour. The security arm clicks into place upon their laps and Luigi lets out a nervous huff.

"Relax, you worry too much," she jeers as she elbows him jokingly.

"I know," Luigi blushes then is snapped out of the thought when the brakes are released and the coaster cart begins to move forward.

"Oh come on where is she," the incognito Kammy Koopa grumbles impatiently as she taps her clawed foot on the ground. She rolls her eyes as a pair of yurarin waddle up to the booth's table and registers for the 'drawing'. Kammy sighs as she eyes the prizes displayed: for first place a set of cruise tickets to Isle Delfino, counterfeit naturally; for second place gift certificates to various restaurants in the Mushroom Kingdom, again counterfeit; finally for third place a standing mirror outfitted in white wood. Kammy rubs her chin fretfully as she eyes the Reflectivus Portal, posing as a simple prize much like her and the rest of the koopa troop using her magic skills to blend in as mere nokobons. The trap is set, but the wait for the target is grinding on the nerves of the elderly koopa. Minutes later, a smile of relief plays across the witch's face as the gleam of a crown in the distance catches her eye.

"You weren't kidding about that sensitive stomach were you? I thought with all those corndogs you gobbled down, you were exaggerating," Daisy notes as she acts as a human crutch for Luigi as they walk away from the coaster.

"Sorry, but I'll be fine after we walk around for a bit," he apologizes weakly.

"No need to apologize, I guess we'll hit the game booths until you feel better then we can try the Sizzler." Luigi groans at the thought of being spun around in circles causing Daisy to quietly snicker. "I'm just kidding we'll ride something you choose." They walk into the tunnel of booths, surrounded on both sides. "So which one should we try first? I personally have always enjoyed the one where you shoot the water into the fish's mouth and raced to see who could get it done first."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Luigi agrees. They start heading toward the booth when they are suddenly stopped by a nokobon.

"Excuse me kids, but would you two like to enter into a drawing," the koopa like creature asks sweetly.

"Oh that sounds like fun! What are the prizes," Daisy asks intrigued.

"Well young lady come and take a look," the purple shelled nokobon insists as she leads them over to her game booth.

"Wow first prize are cruise tickets," Daisy notes excitedly then turns to Luigi. "Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Yeah it would, but I could ask Mario to take me since he's been there," Luigi notes.

"Yeah but wouldn't it be more fun to go with me," Daisy asks with an innocent smile that causes Luigi to go speechless. "Oh look at that, second place is a set of gift certificates to a bunch of high end stores and restaurants! I bet Peach would have a field day with those!"

Luigi cocks to his head to the side as he looks at the third prize, "A mirror?"

Daisy follows his gaze to the mirror, "Huh that's interesting a standing mirror. Wait," the desert princess grabs the chain on her neck and pulls it up revealing the white wood ring dangling on the chain. "The wood looks like the same type as my necklace," the princess notes to her green clad friend.

He takes the ring into his hand and compares, "Yeah it does. This is really pretty where did you get it?"

"My grandma gave it to me; said it was my mother's."

_That weirdo from the portal was correct! No time to waste, I got to get this girl to sign up for the drawing,_ Kammy realizes as her eyes widen at the sight of the ring. "These are very nice prizes, are they not? I'm sure you would enjoy any of them if you won," she tries to persuade with a sweet smile.

"We should enter Luigi! If we both do, then we will have double the chances," Daisy reasons.

"Okay why not," he agrees and grabs two slips of paper for them. He and Daisy write down their names and give them to the purple shelled nokobon.

"Excellent, now the drawing will take place at 10:00 which is and hour and half from now. Don't be late," the disguised Kammy reminds them.

"We'll be here," Daisy promises then turns back to Luigi. "So we should go back to the rides then after the drawing we can hit the other booths. If you are up for it that is."

"Yeah lets go, but I'm choosing this time. No spinning or drops or anything like that."

"Aw, you're no fun," Daisy teases as they walk away from the booth leaving Kammy in their wake with a triumphant smile.

An hour later, the happy pair has ridden the bumper cars, Sizzler, Viking Ship, merry-go-round, and the tilt-a-whirl which left them enough time for one more ride before having to report for the drawing. "Hmm, what now? We've hit almost everything," Daisy notes.

"May I ask we go on something slow again, that tilt-a-whirl has done a number on me," Luigi asks his world still spinning.

"Okay," Daisy responds while laughing as his wobbly walking. "I've got it follow me," she grabs his hand and leads him to the next line. In a matter of minutes, they are in the front of the line getting into a blue ferris wheel gondola.

"This isn't so bad," Luigi states as their seat rises higher into the air stopping periodically to allow more passengers on. Their gondola reaches the top of the wheel and stops once more to load more passengers.

"Look Luigi," Daisy tugs at the sleeve of his shirt and points back toward the castle. "Isn't the view from here amazing? I love being up here above it all where I can see the entire village lit only by street lamps. Its peaceful up here too, a good place to think. The last day of the festival before they shut everything completely off; I stay until the very end when everyone has left and ask the operators to leave me up here for an hour or so just so I can think. I have a feeling that this year I might be up here for longer; have a lot to think about."

"Really, I wouldn't think a princess like you would have too much to worry about," Luigi states curiously.

"Not usually no," she smiles, "but this year I get to ponder upon my father's little game."

"Oh yeah that," he acknowledges, not liking the idea of her going along with this 'game'.

"But yeah, the only downside to this is it gets kind of windy and cold up here," she notes as she rubs her hands up and down her bare arms trying to use create friction to warm herself up.

"Yeah I noticed that, should have worn a jacket or something," he notes his voice breaking at the end.

"You okay," she asks as the gondola begins to move again.

"Yeah fine, *cough* just a tickle in the throat," he replies letting out a nervous breath. _I hope this isn't too bold._ Although his arm feels like it's made of concrete and weighs a ton; he quietly sneaks it around her shoulders. As she realizes what he is doing, she looks at him surprised with one eyebrow raised causing him to become even more nervous than before. "Are you still cold," he stammers out.

She smiles appreciatively, "No, I'm good now." She scoots next to him and placing her head on his shoulder. He gulps loudly which causes her to grin at his nervousness. As she tunes out the noise from the crowds below and the whipping wind, the loud fast beating of his heart catches her attention. "Are you sure you're okay? It sounds like your heart is going to jump right out of your chest here."

He blushes furiously, "About as okay as a guy can be around a cute girl with her head on his shoulder." He smiles timidly as his cheeks flush darker.

"You are far too adorable for your own good, you know that," she compliments enjoying how unglued he becomes around her. She has never tried to date a shy guy before; always tend to go after the macho, a little too secure about themselves type, but she is finding herself enjoying the change. The younger Mario Brother is definitely growing on her and she is thankful that no one else could come with them.

The ride on the ferris wheel ends all too quickly for Daisy's liking, but just in time for the pair to head over to the game booth drawing. A small crowd of about 30 surrounds the booth waiting for the drawing results. Seconds later the elderly nokobon appears and with the help of one of the other nokobons, climbs upon the table next to the wheel. "All right, thank you all for coming and well I'm an impatient woman so lets get this thing started already." The crowd cheers at the nokobon's promptness and bluntness causing her to smile, revealing the very edge of her single jutting tooth. "In the spirit of being different, we will begin with the drawing for the grand prize and work our way down." The quiet mummer of confusion from the crowd fills Kammy's ears as she reaches for the handle of the wheel and spins it. Another smirk creeps upon her face, _I'm leaving the best for last._ She pulls out one of the folded cards and reads off the name of a chibibo. The small mushroom walks up to the stage with a cool, yet excited smile and accepts his cruise tickets. "Congratulations to Harvey, enjoy your trip," the koopa/nokobon congratulates as buoyantly as possible, trying to act according to her role. "And now for our second prize….," she again churns the wheel and reads off another name. This time an estatic yellow bomb-omb runs up to the stage and jumps excitedly as the Kammy hands her the gift certificates. "Congratulations to Erica, and now for our final prize…" She turns the wheel once more, but this time as Kammy reaches into the wheel her claws plunges into the settled pile of folded names and her nails scrap across the bottom of the wheel chamber peeling off a piece of paper stuck there with a piece of double sided tape. She pulls out the paper and begins to unfold it, "Our final prize goes to no other than our own princess, Daisy Floral!"

"I won," Daisy exclaims happily as she thrusts her fists triumphantly into the air and hops ecstatically in place. "Let's go," she suggests as she grabs Luigi's hand and drags him up to the front to claim her prize.

As they reach the front, Luigi could feel his face start to warm in the cheeks as he looks to the crowd and realizes that they all are looking at them. His nerves rattle, _Oh boy its like speech class in high school all over again…_ He suppresses a nervous flush as he focuses back onto Daisy and the purple nokobon.

"Congratulations your highness," Kammy congratulates then steps over to the mirror. "This lovely mirror is handcrafted and will last for lifetimes to come."

"It looks like it would last forever and it's so beautiful! Wow, look at theses cravings I didn't get to see them the first time they're…" she extends her hand to touch the wood when a burning sensation on her chest stops her. _What in the world_,she wonders mystified as she clutches at her chest, grabbing the necklace and staggers back a step.

"Daisy, are you okay," Luigi's concerned voice resonates behind her.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she turns and smiles trying to dispel his concern.

"Well Princess, I'll have my people deliver the mirror to the castle tomorrow; unless your boyfriend has a means of transporting it for you tonight," Kammy, knowing exactly what just occurred, quickly interjects for a distraction. The princess and plumber immediately blush forgetting about the necklace for the moment causing the elderly nokobon to grin at her successful distraction.

Luigi clears his throat, "We, we aren't…"

"We walked," Daisy interrupts stumping the green clad plumber. "So if it possible, I would like the mirror to be delivered to Floral Castle at ten o'clock," she firmly requests.

"Not a problem, your highness," Kammy replies complacently.

"Thank you, see you tomorrow," Daisy thanks then turns to Luigi. "Ready to go?"

"Um yeah," he stammers in response then follow the desert princess out of the park.


	21. Castle Politics

**Hey guys! I am to apologize again, but I'm sure you all have heard it before. SORRY!!! I am, very much so. I guess I am the worst type of fanfic writer; the one that takes forever to update!!! Well, what can I say I am a procrastinator, heck I'm the president of the procrastinator society...Anyways, enjoy!**

**Chapter 21: Castle Politics**

They walk back to the castle and along the way Luigi wonders why Daisy had not corrected the nokobon at the drawing booth. He looks at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing her also lost in thought. Concern washes over his face, _Something's not right here, but what?_ He notices her hand clutching at something on her chest again, like earlier when she won the mirror at the festival. Reaching his hand up, gently grasps her shoulder; she jumps in surprise and looks at him like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. "Daisy are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah just a little dazed I guess," she excuses, her fingers still fiddling with the necklace hidden underneath her dress's neckline. "Thanks for asking," she adds noticing his eyebrows knit in worry. "Did you enjoy the festival," she asks trying to change the subject and dispel his concern.

"Yeah it was fun, except for the dizziness from the coaster," the plumber replies with a slight blush upon his cheeks.

"I've never known someone with such a sensitive stomach," Daisy laughs. "I did tell you not to eat that funnel cake before getting on!"

"You did not," Luigi playfully defends. "You were the one that insisted on having the funnel cake!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," the princess admits with a grin. The castle's main gate comes into view, "Are we already here, seriously?" The younger Mario brother follows her gaze and confirms the front door coming ever so closer. Two guards stand at their post in front of the door.

"Welcome back Princess Floral," one guard greets as the other opens the door.

"Thank you," Daisy nods as she and Luigi walk past them into the foyer. The door slams heavily behind them as they make their way to the east wing.

A satisfied grin grows on Prince Cashmire's face as he finishes off the last chocolate chip cookie on his plate placating his hunger. After gulping down the last drop of milk in his cup, he leaves the small island in the kitchen and heads for the stairs to the west wing when footsteps grab his attention. Following the sound, he heads up the stairs toward the east wing and continues to a hallway where he finds the hired security specialist escorting the desert princess to her door.

"Thanks for coming with me; I had a lot of fun," Daisy notes gratefully.

"It was my pleasure; I had a lot of fun too," Luigi replies with a smile and a twinge of red in his cheeks.

She replies with a sweet smile as she walks into her room. Luigi turns to walk back to his room when the brunette princess pops her head out the door. "You wouldn't want to go with me again tomorrow would you," she asks curiously while nervously biting her lip and strumming her fingers on the door frame.

"Sure," the green clad plumber agrees happily; "as long as I get to hang out with you I'm happy with whatever we do," he adds then blushing fully in embarrassment for saying his thoughts out loud.

"Good, cause I don't want to go back with anyone else, but my good luck charm." She steps back out into the hall and leans over toward the younger Mario brother planting a kiss on his cheek. "Night," she bids with a seductive smile then disappears into her room; the door closing behind her.

Luigi smiles drunkenly as he realizes what has just occurred. _After a long day, this was the perfect night! Oh I can't wait for tomorrow!_ He begins to turn to head to his room when he feels pain rush from the back of his skull then his vision turns to black.

_I don't believe this crap man! I travel all the way from the Tarpon Kingdom to impress this chick and this happens? Well its time to fix this once and for all,_ Cashmire determinedly thinks as heads down the east stairs and up the west set. He turns to a hallway and knocks on the first door.

"What do you, oh my," the red-headed prince exclaims surprised.

"Are the goody-tooshoes in bed," Cashmire asks quietly.

"Peasley and Pine? I think they so…why do you ask and why are you carrying the guy from the Mushroom Kingdom tossed over your shoulder," Toffee asks inquisitively.

"Just listen, meet me out in the courtyard by the willow tree and don't get caught," Cashmire orders. "I'll be there after I find Waluigi."

"But he's already out there," Toffee informs Cashmire shoots him a questioning look so the Saffron prince continues; "He snuck out for some air awhile ago and hasn't come back."

"Well then what are we waiting for, let's go," Cashmire insists as he grabs Toffee's arm and drags him down the hallway.

Waluigi leans back to lie on the grass and look at the stars; not something he did normally, but without his green house of piranha plants to help him think he found this to be the best substitute. At least he thought it could be a substitute; however, he cannot see the stars. Miffed he sits back up and looks toward the village noticing the ample light radiating from it. _Stupid festival with its light pollution,_ he mentally grumbles. _Makes me wonder how that fat slob brother of mine is doing. Probably enjoying himself over at that stupid company of his with that girl all over him, ick,_ Waluigi scrunches his nose in disgust. _What's her name, oh yes Mona. She's what, twelve? Or at least she acts like it always so damn peppy and cheery! Urgh, irritates me to death! Wario's never had the best taste in women anyway…like that phase where he swore he loved Princess Toadstool, that was a joke! Like he was going to win her over with Mario around, HA right. _The younger Wario brother laughs aloud then walks over to the courtyard's pond and looks at his reflection. _Am I in that rut now? Chasing after some princess that I can never get? Nah, no way Daisy's not like Peach no! Peach was infatuated with Mario the moment they met, disgustingly so, but Floral she's different. Those eyes show something more complex, a rebellious side that just needs some coaxing to come out. A side that sees me as something more than just a nuisance…_ Some rustling snaps Waluigi out of his thoughts and he quickly turns to find the source of the noise. A hulking figure with jet black hair and another smaller figure with red hair emerge from the patio doors. "What the hell are you two doing here," the jaunty Wario Brother asks irritated.

"Hey was just looking for you; you got a minute?"

Luigi's eyes remain heavy, but slowly his other senses kick in. He feels his head drooping down, like a dying sunflower bloom weighing down the stalk. His arms are not free as he shifts them slightly to no advantage, instead he finds them tied behind him and wrapped around some sort of pole. The pole feels rough on his back as he leans against it. The crisp night air blows against his face and brings the smell of water to his nose. Finally the sound of people talking registers in his ears.

"She took him to the festival," Waluigi asks frustrated.

"Yeah and they just got back like fifteen minutes ago," Cashmire informs. "I caught them parting ways in the east wing after a, um, interesting good-bye…"

"Interesting," Waluigi squints suspiciously, "what do you mean by that?"

Luigi coughs and brings his head up to look at the two suitors talking about him. "Why are we out here," he groggily asks after glancing around and realizing that they are in the courtyard.

"Because we are going to teach you a lesson, plumber boy," Cashmire threats, but really does not scare Luigi.

"A lesson? What for? I didn't do anything to you guys," he defends confused.

"Yes you are," Waluigi interjects miffed, "you are trying to squirm your way to the throne through Daisy and we don't appreciate more competition."

"The throne," Luigi replies perplexed; "you think I care about who takes the throne? Wow, you are completely off-base."

"Off-base? Ha! What else would you be after if not that," Waluigi snorts contemptuously as he turns his back to his cousin. "What no snappy comeback? No attempt to explain yourself? What cat got your tongue," the younger Wario brother quips expecting a reaction. He stares at his bound cousin who is unwilling to explain himself breaks eye contact, dropping his gaze down to the grass, and blushes pink on the cheeks. "No way," Waluigi suddenly interjects as an idea hits him. "Don't tell me you love her," the lanky man asks and watches as Luigi blushes a deeper red; then breaks into a hearty laugh. "This is priceless! Oh, oh you've got to be kidding right? A princess and plumber, what do you think this is the Mushroom Kingdom?" Both Waluigi and Cashmire break into a fit of laughter until Cashmire stops suddenly. "Wait what's so wrong with that? I mean Mario did it…," the Tarpon prince begins.

"That's exactly the point," Waluigi interrupts causing the other two to look at him confused. He again turns to Luigi and crouches down to be eye-level with his bound cousin. "You might be Mario's brother, but that doesn't entitle you to the same things that he has. Not every plumber gets a princess," he coldly informs. "Besides she deserves a man, not a mouse; she's out of your league," Waluigi hisses.

"You're right," Luigi replies causing Waluigi to smirk. "I'm not my brother, I never want to be," the younger Mario brother continues. Normally he drops arguments here to avoid further conflict, but tonight he is not worried about stopping the conflict; instead he wants his piece to be heard. "She does deserve a man, not a self-serving jerk like you."

"Oh how cute, the little mouse is trying to be a man and fight back," Waluigi mocks. "Too bad it is a waste of breath; once a mouse, always a mouse," he sneers as he flicks his cousin's nose then stands up to turn and leave.

"She told me about the kiss," Luigi throws out, stopping the lanky man in his tracks. "How you came at her out of the blue and scared her to death the she pushed you away. I think you're angry because she has pushed you away and not me. Maybe she is out of your league," he retorts.

Waluigi clinches his teeth and squeezes his hands into fists wanting to slug his green clad cousin, but instead turns to Cashmire. "Looks like somebody finally grew a pair and learned how to talk the talk, now let's see if he can walk the walk…" Waluigi turns and faces Luigi, "Time for that lesson little cousin," he grins mischievously. "Hold him," he orders the jet haired prince as he rolls up his sleeves.

The warmth of the sun heats Luigi's cheek causing him to stir, _Must be morning._ He tries to push himself up, but his sore arms scream in resistance. Instead he rolls over out of the sunlight and into the shadow cast by the bed. He tries to open his eyes, but only the left one will open all the way, the other has swollen shut due to being punched the night before, _just had to rile them up didn't I. Man they did a douesy on me,_ the green clad plumber groans as the rest of his body begins to ache specifically his stomach and face. _Didn't even bother to throw me up onto my bed, just shoved me onto the floor. How nice of them._ He lets out a deep breath then climbs up on top of the bed and collapses again as he body reminds him how painful moving is at the moment. _I guess I'll just take it slow today, give myself a chance to heal,_ he thinks as he begins to drift back to sleep.

"Up these stairs and it's the third door on the right," Daisy's voice chimes down the hallway.

Luigi's eyes snap open in panic, _Crap! What time is it?_ He cranes his head to look at the clock which reads 10:23 AM. Quickly he rolls to his feet with a wince of pain and rushes down the hallway, skidding to a stop at the top of the stairs. Waluigi, Cashmire, Toffee, and Pine are carrying up the white mirror from the festival yesterday up the stairs, while Peasley and Daisy bring up the rear.

"Good morning Mister Luigi," Peasley pleasantly chimes, noticing the plumber standing atop the stairs.

"Morning Lui…Luigi what happened to you," Daisy stutters as she notices the bruises on his face and the bump on his head.

"Well I," the plumber begins then looks down at Waluigi and Cashmire, both of whom glare at him maliciously. "I fell down the stairs. All the way down," he lies horribly. The boys nod approvingly as Daisy suspiciously eyes him. "I see the mirror came, do you guys need help," Luigi asks changing the topic.

"We got it," Waluigi answers as they trudge to the top of the stairs then as he passes his cousin adds in a whisper, "punching bag."

"Put it in the corner next to the dresser," Daisy orders as the men enter her room. She, Peasley, and Luigi follow them in and watch them set the mirror in place. "Perfect," the desert princess praises as she admires the piece.

"Good so we're done now," Waluigi hints impatiently.

"Yes you can go," Daisy replies. Everyone turns to leave and the brunette princess reaches out and grabs Luigi's arm. "Can I ask you something?" The others leave and she closes the door. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't try to lie Luigi, you're not good at it. You didn't get those bumps and bruises falling down the stairs. Who did this to you," she bluntly asks.

"No one, well someone, but it doesn't matter. I'll be fine," he reassures.

"No it's not fine! Someone hurt you and they deserve to pay for it, so who is it?"

"I told you I'm fine, no need to make a fuss. I can take care of myself."

"It doesn't look like you can take care of yourself if you are trying to cover for someone who is hurting you," she points out vexed.

"Hey I'm here to protect you remember? There is no need to worry about me or make a big deal out of this," Luigi sternly reminds.

"Why are you trying to sweep this the rug and make it disappear? And how am I suppose to trust you to take care of me if you can't even protect yourself," she snaps still cross.

"Well princess, I don't need you or anyone else for that matter to take care of my problems; I will do it myself! Now if you don't mind your highness, I'm going to go downstairs and have some breakfast," he states bitterly.

"Look, I'm sorry for being harsh. I'm just trying to help, please stay and talk to me about it," she pleads apologetically.

"I'll see you later," Luigi whispers before opening the door and walking out.

"So you're going to run away from this too huh? Fine, I'm just trying to help, but it looks like you don't want it. So just walk out, leave!" She slams the door after him then grabs a book and plops onto her bed, frustrated and trying to keep her mind occupied.

Luigi plops down at the table with a frown on his face, _Why does she think she needs to protect me? I told her I'm fine; that I can take care of myself, why doesn't she believe me? Does she think I am a weak little mouse that can't finish his own battles? Well she's wrong and so is Waluigi. I am no mouse and he'll get what's coming to him!_

Hyacinth enters the room and notices the plumber's sour expression and sits across from him. "Good morning," she greets pleasantly.

"Morning," he replies in a grumble.

"Had a long night I take it," she observes from his injuries.

"You could say that."

"Hmm, may I ask how you got those nasty bruises," she asks cautiously.

"Fell down the stairs," he replies curtly.

"Is that so?"

"What don't believe me," he accuses.

"Not really, but you seem defensive, so I won't push it," she replies coolly.

"Hmph, I say I'm fine and no one believes me. First Daisy and now you; well at least you are not grilling me about it."

"I know my granddaughter is stubborn and frustrating at times Luigi, but it sounds like to me she only had your best interest in mind. Sounds like to me she is worried about you and really cares," Hyacinth explains unwavering.

"Well I…you think so?"

"I know so."

"Wait how did you know what we were arguing about?"

"It's not that hard to figure out. I think you should listen to her though, they don't deserve to be covered for."

"Thanks Hyacinth," Luigi says before she disappears and he rushes up the east wing stairs and knocks on the first door.

"Hello," the door swings open to show Toffee answering. "Oh its you what do you want?"

"I want to speak with your buddies, Cashmire and Waluigi," Luigi curtly replies.

"They are the next door down."

"Okay thanks," he leaves Toffee standing there and stomps down the hall to the next door and pounds on it.

"What," Waluigi exclaims irately as he opens the door. "Oh cuz, how nice to see you! What do you want pest?"

"I want to let you know I did not appreciate being ambushed last night."

"Oh really," Waluigi replies then turns back to Cashmire. "Did you hear that? He didn't appreciate our little lesson."

Cashmire rises from his bed and walks up behind Waluigi, "Is that so? Well that's too bad now isn't it?"

"I want an apology," Luigi demands.

"An apology? Bwa ha ha! Can you believe this guy," Waluigi breaks up into laughter.

"Yeah this guy's off his rocker," Cashmire adds.

"Well I didn't want to do this, but if you insist…" Suddenly Luigi punches Waluigi in the mouth and sends him flying back onto the floor.

"What the? You little," Cashmire starts then charges Luigi and pins him to the wall and begins punching him. "Do you ever learn?"

"Yes I do," Luigi stomps on Cashmire's foot stopping his punching assault then elbows him in the stomach and pushes him down.

"Woah, someone calls security," Toffee yells.

"You little brat," Waluigi sneers as he gets up from the floor and tackles Luigi down. "Think you can beat us at our own game?"

"No just wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine," the younger Mario brother quips as he trades blows with the younger Wario brother. As they continue to fight; Peasley, Pine, Toffee, Herb and a couple of security guards run to their position and begin to intervene by pulling each of the combatants from each other. "Let go of me, he deserves to get what's coming to him!"

"Mister Luigi, he's not worth it," Peasley notes.

"Listen to the talking bean loser, because we both know I'd beat the snot of you with one hand tied behind my back," Waluigi boasts.

"Now calm down, don't ruffle anymore feathers," Herb advises ash he assists the guards in holding the lanky purple man back.

"Lets take them downstairs to throne room, call Chizier and the king."

The three sit sulking in chairs brought in from the dining room and placed in front of the throne. Minutes later, King Thorne and Chizier enter the room. The chibibo vizier stands stolidly next to the throne as the king sits down and scornfully looks at the three men in front of him. "I am disappointed in all three of you. You should know better than to start a brawl in my castle."

"He started it," Cashmire exclaims as he points to Luigi; "he randomly came to our door and punched Waluigi in the mouth!"

"Excuse me? I didn't start this, you guys did, last night! Kidnapping me then dragging me to the courtyard, tying me up, and beating me to a bloody pulp to 'teach me a lesson'," Luigi fires back.

"Well maybe if you weren't trying to screw with our chances of getting a good woman, maybe we wouldn't have to teach you a lesson," Waluigi retorts.

"I don't care who started it or why! I do not and will not tolerate fighting in my home," Thorne yells authoritatively. The three men fall silently and nod their heads dejected. "Especially over trivial arguments like this. A leader, a good leader, for the best for his people. I hope that is what you take from this, now go," he orders then stands and disappears toward the kitchen.

Cashmire and Waluigi turn and scowl at the plumber then leave, vanishing up the east stairs as Luigi remains seated in his chair starting thoughtfully at his shoes. _Well I feel like an idiot now; I let them get the best of me. I usually never do something like that. Shouldn't let pride or anger take over like that makes me lose focus. Wow I am a fool…for doing that. Wait, I need to go apologize to Daisy, she deserves that since I was so mean to her._ With that thought, he rushes up the west stairs


	22. About Time!

**Wow this took far too long to get out there, but I wanted it to be good! And well, my life has become pretty hectic, so I apologize once more for the tardiness! Anyway, actually getting to the meat of the story now, (yippee! ^_^) so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: It's the same old spiel do we really have to go over it?**

**Chapter 22: About Time!**

She throws down the book on her bed frustrated, as she stands up and paces back and forth in front of the bed. _Why do men have to be so damn stubborn? You try to help and do they appreciate it? Nooo, instead they push you away and for what? Pride! Urgh, it's so stupid!_ She stops in front of her balcony doors and stares out at the skyline. It is a cooler day, she can tell as even though the sun shines brightly and the sky remains cloudless, it does not have that bright intensity that a warm summer day holds. Suddenly the heat of summer beats down onto her chest, snapping her out of her thoughts. _It's the same feeling I got at the festival_, the princess observes as she clutches the white wooden ring in her hand. The heat continues, engulfing her hand as if she were holding a piece of fiery coal. She flattens her hand, opening it, to reveal no marks or burns although the ring radiates scalding heat. Her eyes flicker to the mirror and her reflection; she blinks and observes the same behavior of her reflection then the reflection's lips turn into a grin. Daisy's cerulean eyes widen in shock as she raise her hand to her lips confirming that she is not grinning herself.

"Come, come to me. My royal flower open the way with your simple touch," her voice echoes in her ears without being spoken.

She reaches her hand questioningly toward the mirror's frame when a knock grabs her attention, "Daisy," Luigi's voice calls cautiously.

"What," she snaps, still slightly upset.

"I'm, I'm sorry," he blurts out then takes a calming breath. "I should have been more open to accepting your help, but I just felt like once again no one believes that I can help myself. It frustrates me when people do that, but I should not have assumed that was your logic. I should not have been so curt and cold toward you, especially when all you were doing was trying to help. I am really sorry that I upset you," he apologizes again as he sheepishly kicks his foot. "I hope that you can forgive me for my foolishness."

Daisy opens the door and smiles at the surprised plumber. "Apology accepted," she replies contently. "I'm sorry I went off on you like that, but you frustrated me with your stubbornness!"

Luigi laughs, "Well you know us Italians, stubbornness is part of our nature." They both smile goofily then fall silent for a minute. "You want to go do something," he asks breaking the awkward silence.

"Sure, let's go into town," she suggests.

"Sounds like a plan," he agrees as he follows her down the stairs.

They travel into town and spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon walking through the market and various shops. As evening falls they return to the castle and head for Daisy's garden. "Wow, I actually get to enter through the front gate this time, the proper entrance. I don't know if I can handle it! Something's not right," Luigi jokes as they enter into the garden.

The brunette princess smiles and laughs, "Silly boy of course you can come through the normal entrance. Just this once though, otherwise we'll be tempting fate here."

"That sounds about right, knowing my luck," Luigi replies as they sit underneath the cherry blossom tree. Silence reigns between them for a while, both of them quietly watching the sky turn to different colors as the sun sinks into the horizon until the younger Mario brother breaks the silence. "So um awkward question, but how is that experiment thing going," he asks as coolly as possible as he rubs the back of his head nervously.

"As good as one would expect," Daisy sighs causing Luigi to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "I haven't picked anyone yet; actually haven't really thought too much about it to be perfectly honest, even though I should be I guess."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"Because I'm suppose to pick the stupid suitor here in two days."

"What? That fast? It's only been what a month maybe two? How can your father expect you to have an answer so soon," Luigi asks bewildered.

"I wish I had an answer, but I don't. I can of have just avoided thinking about it all together you know? I mean I know he wants me to be happy, but at the same time he has stressed the importance of picking guy who will make the best king. 'The kingdom's future rides of this decision and it should be someone who will work for the people, not use the people,'" she quotes, imitating her father. "But the question I beg is who gets put first, me or the kingdom," she contemplates.

"Just because you pick some guy from this experiment doesn't make him your husband does it?"

"Technically no, but at the same time yes. It's what everyone is expecting, 'Oh she choose him out of those five guys her dad picked out for her; surly they'll get married and rule the kingdom.'"

"Oh come now, the Daisy I know wouldn't let all this poppycock get to her! I mean come on where is that spunky girl that I adore who does things her way and pushes all this royalty stuff to the way side," he nudges trying to cheer her up.

"She's caving to the fact that the pressure has been really high lately," Daisy sighs not giving into his cheerfulness.

"So the problem is you're having trouble picking one that you like and can run a kingdom? Well, I guess I would say pick the one you like and give them a chance to run a kingdom. I mean you've seen how it's done and your dad would help like train them right," Luigi asks trying to be helpful.

She smiles appreciating his effort, "That's not exactly the whole problem. My main problem is that I don't want to pick one."

"Why not," he asks imploring her to explain herself.

"I don't have any deep profound feelings for any of them," she explains as she turns to face him. "I like somebody else," she hints as she places her hand on top of his and leans toward him.

"Somebody else, somebody I would know," he asks hopeful, yet his voice waivers in apprehension.

"Yes you would, my bodyguard actually and I know that there's something on his end, but has yet to admit to it or give into my numerous hints," she purrs as she leans closer, her nose touching his.

"Maybe he's just anxious and waiting for the right moment," he gulps as he turns and looks at her in the eyes, getting lost in their color like he did the first time they met. "To admit what he feels," he adds as his free hand caresses her face then slides into her hair to the back of her head. He tilts his head and pulls her in; not wanting t miss his chance as he has in the past. Their lips meet at last and the smell of amber wafts to Luigi's nose as the sweet yet tangy taste of tangerines impresses upon his lips.

His mustache tickles her nose, but she does not mind. The Floral princess's free hand wraps around the plumber's neck and grabs onto his shoulder tightly as she enjoys the kiss she has been waiting for since the ball. She has no intention of letting go anytime soon. Putting all her weight on the shoulder hold she secured, she pushes him back onto the ground, lying on top of him. His hands slide down from around her face and settle around her midsection, giving her chills as they slowly make their way down. She ventures beyond the point of closed mouth kissing by snaking her tongue past her teeth and teasingly sliding it just inside of his lips.

He reciprocates her bold move by meeting her tongue with his, intertwining them making the kiss heavier and more passionate. His hands latch onto her sides and he rolls over, making it so he is now lying on top of her. Their tongues withdraw and lips begin to close ending the kiss simply when Daisy draws it out by lightly biting down on Luigi's bottom lip as they pull apart. They sit there a moment dumbfounded then they look at each other once more and engage in another kiss. Her arms still wrapped around his neck and his around her midsection until he drops his left hand down her back, over her butt, and down her thigh, holding it up at his side. They remain there entangled with one another until the sound of the patio door slamming shut catches their attention. Quickly they part and sit side-by-side, trying to look innocent as the gate to her garden opens and someone walks in.

"Daisy? Are you in here," Hyacinth calls.

"Yes Grandma, I'm right here," Daisy replies trying to keep her cool.

"There you are! I was just wondering if you had dinner yet; you missed supper so I just wanted to make sure you ate. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm alright, I had some food earlier," the princess replies.

"Hmm okay, you just look a little flushed to me," Hyacinth notes as she reaches her hand out and feels Daisy's forehead. "You're a little warm too, might be coming down with something." She then looks over at Luigi, who is trying not to blush too much, but cannot help it. "You look flushed too, probably should head inside soon."

"Thanks Hyacinth," Luigi notes gratefully.

"You're welcome," the elderly woman replies, then heads inside chuckling to herself along the way.

"That was embarrassing," Daisy notes miserably as she wraps her arms around her legs and hides her face in her knees.

"Yeah it was," Luigi agrees, "but worth it I think."

Daisy smiles and blushes, "I think so too. Well I guess we should head inside then." They both stand and Luigi leads her into the castle and up to her room.

She smiles giddy as she jumps onto her bed once again, _I can't believe that actually happened! This morning I wanted nothing more to smack him and now I'm so happy!_ The grin that she continues to wear only grows as she reminisces; _I knew he would be a good kisser once I coaxed him out of his shell! This has been an amazing day!_ Her blissful thoughts are interrupted once again by the mysterious voice calling out to her.

"Floral princess, come, come and open the way..."

"Stop it! Shut up!" Daisy screams as she hides her head underneath her pillow, trying to drown out the sound.

"Princess you cannot escape me! Eventually you will come to me and fulfill our destinies..." the voice states then trails off until silence reigns over the room.

"Fulfill our destinies, oooo, trying to be all mystical and catastrophic sounding, pssh whatever. I'm not fulfilling anyone's destiny but my own! I just wish I knew why I am hearing this voice and where it is coming from," she ponders then a yawn erupts from her mouth. "I guess I should not worry about it for now and try to get some sleep." With that she puts on her capri pj bottoms and her t-shirt, snuggles down underneath the covers, and falls asleep. She wakes up startled, her night fraught with strange dreams that usually ended with her death. The sun has risen, beginning a new day. Daisy slowly rises from her bed and shuffles to her dresser. She prepares for the day by putting on her characteristic yellow dress, shoes, gloves and necklace. Hairbrush and earrings in hand, she walks over to the white mirror and puts on her earrings. As she brushes her hair she notices a ripple roll across the mirror's surface, such as one would on a pond or some sort of pool of water. _What in the world was that_, she wonders as tilts her head to the side confused. Another ripple flows across the shiny surface and a shockwave pounds through her chest. She gasps and grasps her chest in shock; finding her palms falls upon the wood ring of her necklace. The ripples become more frequent as does the pounding pulse from the ring. The princess dazes into the mirror, entranced by the rippling effect and reaches her right hand up toward the reflective surface.

The alarm buzzes and the Mario Brother's hand slams down the off button. Letting out a yawn, Luigi sits up and stretches then looks out the window and admires the sunrise. _What a beautiful morning_, he smiles. He swings his feet over the side of the bed and touches them to the cold floor. A shiver runs from his toes, up through his spine, to the back of his head. Pushing with his arms, he lifts himself off the bed onto his feet and walks toward his dresser.

The sensation is cool, like plunging bare feet into a chilly swimming pool. She wiggles her fingers curiously; her mouth drops in awe as she stares at her appendages sunken halfway into the mirror's surface. She chokes out an astonished gasp, "Whoa, what is going on here?"

"I told you that you would come to me..."

The princess freezes in fear as the voice rings familiar in her ears. The wooden ring radiates immense heat like before then suddenly her arm is jerked into the mirror as an unseen hand grasps onto her wrist. She plants her other hand against the mirror's frame and uses it as leverage to push herself back. As she reels her arm back from the silver pool, an iridescent claw encases her wrist. It pulls her in again and she struggles against it with all her might. "Noooo! Let me go! Let me go," she demands.

"It is too late Floral princess, I said you will fulfill our destinies and now it is has begun." The arm gains strength and drags her in further, her whole side engulfed into the mirror.

"Nooo," she screams as she pulls her face out of the silvery, gelatinous surface.

"Daisy?" Luigi ponders aloud concerned. He quickly slips into his shoes, skipping the tying, and head next door.

"Get off of me!"

"Daisy!" He rams the door with his shoulder and it busts open. He runs in looking for her, but falls on his face as he steps on one of his loose laces. Raising his face from the floor, he spots her struggling against the mirror's surface.

"Luigi help me," the brunette princess pleads as she wriggles her captive arm free and tries to push herself out of the mirror by pushing off the frame once more. He jumps up from the floor and runs over to the mirror, grasping her upper arms her tries to pull her out. "Don't let them take me," Daisy pleads.

"I won't let them hurt you, I promise," Luigi swears between gritted teeth. Suddenly more arms appear; they wrap around her abdomen, her arms, and across her chest, as other begin to pry Luigi's hands off of the princess's arms.

"Stop it! Let her go," the plumber barks frustrated as the clawed hands remove his left hand from Daisy's arm and begin working on the right.

"Don't let go," Daisy pleads again as her left shoulder is pulled into the silvery surface of the portal. A pair of the clawed hands rips Luigi's right hand off the brunette's arm and pulls hard to the right, tossing him out of the way.

"No," he yells panicked as he feels himself being thrown aside. He reaches out with his left hand and tries to grab onto Daisy, but misses her collar and lands on the floor. Seconds later, the Floral princess disappears into the standing mirror. Luigi gets back onto his feet and pounds his hands against the mirror's shiny surface, trying to get in. "Daisy! Daisy!"

Chizer bursts into the room, "What's going on here?"

"She's gone," Luigi sadly informs then falls down to his knees. "I've failed her," he slams his hands flat onto the floor in frustration with tears in his eyes. As he wipes his eyes with his sleeve, he notices something shiny on the floor underneath the mirror and reaches to pick it up.

As she emerges on the other side of the portal, she finds herself in her room once more, but setup the opposite of how she has it laid out in her world. She screams and kicks continuously, struggling to escape their grip with no success. They restrain her as much as possible and continue to carry her to the door. The door, which in the real world would lead to the East Wing corridor, takes them out to a silver hallway. The walls reminded the princess of mirrors, but they did not reflect any image back other then the eerie illuminating glow from the ceiling and floor which looked like clouds that overlay the sun's beams on a cloudy day. The iridescent goons carry her through numerous hallways and down several flights of stairs until they reach a large set of white double doors. Daisy stares at the doors, not only for the fact that they do not go with the continuing theme of the corridors, but also because the wood matches that of her necklace. The doors swing open to reveal an expansive room with walls made of stone, giving off the impression of being in a cave. Deep burgundy pennants and flags hang from the ceiling, tapestries of the same color adorn the walls, and a carpet, also taking the color, hugs the floor. An ornate canopy bed stands caddy corner to the far right corner of the room; on the left of that stands a mirror that is a replica of the one Daisy had just stepped through. A man stands next to the mirror, his back to the group.

One of the minions shuffles up to the man's side, "We have her sir." The man merely nods, affirming that he understood and dismissing the opal looking creature.

"Welcome at last my dear Floral. I have waited for this moment for a long time," the prince states.

The sound of his voice sends chills down Daisy's spine as she remembers those nights that his voice would taunt and call out to her, haunting her in her sleep. "What do you want from me?"

"I want the freedom that I have denied for far too long. I want to be able to smell the flowers, hear the call of the gulls as they ride the currents, to feel the salty breeze of the ocean on my face; to exist in the normal world once more! Most of all however," he turns around and faces her for the first time. Her jaw drops in shock at the sight of his fading features before he continues. "I want revenge," he sneers, his mouth turning into a snarl baring his teeth.

She tries to not stare, but she cannot look away; his face reminds her of a mask peeling away from a mannequin. His skin is intact all around his face except for on the very tip of his nose and across his cheeks. It is those spots where she cannot turn away. His flesh appears to be curling and flaking away, revealing the same iridescent skin that the odd hourglass men holding her captive do. She forces herself to look away from his the flaking cheeks and focuses on his piercing, cold, cobalt eyes, "Why would you take revenge on me? I didn't do anything to you!"

"The son does not only pay for the sins he commits, but those of his father as well," he replies as though reading a poem. "In your case my dear, you will pay for the sins of your grandmother far past." He steps up to her and puts his fingers in her hair, slowly dragging them down to her face. "Her hair was longer and fiery red, her skin comparable to porcelain, but even with the many generations past I still see her in you. These eyes that shimmer with the color of evening's dawn remind me of hers. This small sloped nose she also has passed onto you," he takes one of his iridescent tipped fingers and traces down her nose then continues. "I also remember these voluptuous lips," he exhales heavily as he glides his finger across her bottom lip and leans his face closer to hers. "How I remember kissing those lips..." He lightly places his lips on hers, gingerly kissing her repeatedly. He pulls away, as to hover just out of reach, "then she betrayed me!" He crashes his lips into hers again, but this time he bites down hard, piercing the skin and drawing blood.

"OW! You sick son of a," Daisy yowls in pain as she is slammed back into reality.

"Yes you even have her blood; I can taste her in it," he informs as he licks the blood off of his lips, as if finishing a delicacy.

"Listen here, you sick freak! I will not stand for this! I demand that you return me to my castle now," Daisy commands furiously while unnerved at her very core.

"I am afraid my dear Floral that you shall never see your castle again. As you see in order to lift this enchantment, wrongly placed upon me, I must unite the blood of true lovers."

Daisy glares at him, "And what does this lovely story rhyme have to do with me?"

"My lovely Tulip, as much as I loved her, did not return my love. The woodcarver that is who she chose! A pathetic, penniless peasant was the one she truly loved. I saw them together in her garden; he was all over her, it was revolting. I followed him back to his shop, surprised him from behind, stabbed him with my sword, and then finished him off with one of his own tools. I still have the sword and his blood, all I need is my fair Tulip's blood, or should I say Floral blood."

"Her ring...," Luigi whispers as he examines the white wood in his hand.

"What are we going to do? I must get the King," Chizer exclaims panicked as he runs out into the hall.

"I know what to do," Luigi states to no one as he stands up and faces the mirror. He slides the necklace into his pocket and walks into the mirror, allowing the silvery surface to swallow him whole.


	23. Shattered Plans

**Hello again everyone! Lots of apologies once more, I know I am terrible at updating, but I wanted it to be perfect! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy and hopefully I can stay on the ball!**

**Disclaimer: I am sure we all know what goes here...**

**Chapter 23: Shattered Plans**

_What was I thinking? I don't know what to do! I have no clue where I am going!_ Luigi thinks panicked as he stares out from Daisy's mirrored room to the bright dazzling hallway. _Okay calm down,_ he takes a big breath to steady his nerves, _now what would Mario do?_ He cradles his chin in thought when scream from down the hall startles him. Quickly he hides in the room he came from.

"Let go of me you mirrored freaks! I said put me down this instant! I refuse to be part of this bogus prophecy crap," the captive princess screams angrily at the iridescent minions carrying her above their heads.

"It is far too late to bow out now Floral," the prince notes then addresses the minions. "To the armory gentlemen." The group passes by the intersection of the hallway and Luigi comes out from his hiding spot.

_Well that was too easy._ carefully, the younger Mario brother tails the prince's party through the maze of bright corridors.

"What do you mean the mirror swallowed her Chizer," Thorne asks, demanding an explanation.

"Arms came out of the mirror and pulled her in! Mr. Luigi tried to fight them off, but failed."

"Speaking of, where is my supposed 'security expert'?"

"I am not sure your highness..."

"Probably ran off like the coward he is," Waluigi chimes in from behind the king.

"Mister Luigi is not a coward! He is quite brave," Peasley retorts.

"Yea, yea says the guy with a man crush."

"Quiet! I did not ask for commentary from the peanut gallery," Thorne growls. "Chizer call Mario, I want his help."

"Right away sir," Chizer obeys and disappears down the hall.

Luigi peers around another corner wondering when the group is going to stop, as it feels like they have been walking forever now. Finally they stop in front of a metal door, one that reminds Luigi of the doors in the castle's basement then the prince pulls out a ring of keys to unlock the door. After a loud clunk, the door swings open and the group files inside except for the prince and a single minion that is pulled aside. "Guard this door with your life. Let no one or anything past you, understand," the red and black clad man asks sternly.

"Understood your majesty," the creature affirms and takes his post by the door as the prince disappears inside.

"Yes Chizer, I will send Master Mario right away in the fastest fashion possible," Toadsworth assures his friend as he switches the phone receiver to his other ear.

"Thank you Toadsworth, I'm not sure what else I can do. I have never seen the king so flustered and worried, except for when Tantanga came while he was on vacation."

"Oh I remember you called me in such a panic saying that Thorne was threatening to leave you in Poshley Heights if his little girl wasn't saved. Don't worry, Master Mario never fails. We'll see you when we land. Okay, bye," Toadsworth hangs up the phone quickly then runs into the foyer. "Master Mario! Master Mario! Master Mario we need to pack!"

"Whoa Toadsworth, whoa what's going on," Mario asks concerned.

"The princess has been kidnapped!"

"Toadsworth I am right here," Princess Peach states calmly.

"No, no, not our princess! Princess Daisy! She's been kidnapped through some portal in her room," the elderly toad replies panicked.

"But what about Luigi," Peach asks confused.

"I am not sure your majesty, maybe he was overpowered..."

"Where is he," Mario asks.

"He has gone missing Master Mario," Toadsworth replies quietly.

Mario sighs and bites his lower lip with worry then he shakes his head, shaking the worries away temporarily and refocusing. "Are we taking the plane?"

"Yes sir."

"Okay let's get going..." the red clad plumber and princess go up to the stairs and quickly pack a bag each then follow Toadsworth to the airport. The trio remains quiet for the entire hurried walk, Toadsworth only breaking the silence when they can see the plane on the runway.

"I called ahead, so they could prepare the plane. We are ready to go so hurry now Princess!" Peach boards the plane with Toadsworth while Mario assists the toads with hauling the bags into the cargo hold. He slams the door to the cargo bay shut then jogs to the boarding stairs.

"Good luck Mario, have a safe trip," the runway toads cheerily bid farewell to their hero.

"Will do, thanks guys," Mario replies distracted, but with an appreciative smile. He shuts the plane door behind him then sits down next to the princess.

The intercom crackles on, "Please buckle up; we are taking off. We will arrive in Sarsaraland within the hour."

"The faster the better," Toadsworth notes to the princess." Meanwhile we should relax so we will be ready for whatever awaits us." Peach nods along as Mario stares out into space. "Master Mario," Toadsworh asks trying to get the hero's attention.

"Hmm, yes Toadsworth?"

"Are you all right Master Mario? You are quiet and seem distracted," the elderly toad observes.

"Just thinking about what is ahead," Mario replies.

"Well like I said earlier Master Mario, we need to relax, especially you. We need you in top condition so do not worry about a thing and take a nap. I will call for some pillows," Toadsworth advises then turns to call for the flight attendant.

"Alright Toadsworth," Mario replies, not caring to fight Toadsworth's generosity. "Thanks," he notes as a pillow is placed behind his head.

"You're welcome Master Mario. Get some rest now, a big job lies ahead; you will need your strength," the elderly toad warns like a protective mother as he closes his eyes to nap himself.

Mario follows suit with a deep breath, but has trouble relaxing as questions plague his mind. _Weegie, what happened? Where did you go? What portal appeared? Is this Bowser's doing or someone else's? How am I going to fix this when I am going in blind?_

_How am I going to get past him,_ Luigi ponders as he watches the mirror minion guard the metal doors. The minion looks up and the green clad plumber quickly flattens against the wall, disappearing from sight. _Whew, that was a close one,_ he thinks relieved as he thumps his hand on his chest. The small force of the action reminds him that his overhauls pocket is not empty as the ring pushes into his chest. The young plumber reaches into his pocket and pulls out the ring still attached to the necklace. _This gives me an idea,_ he carefully unhinges the necklace's clasp and sticks the ring back in his pocket, keeping the chain in hand. He peers around the corner once more to check on the guard. After confirming that the minion is still standing at his post and looking away from him; Luigi sucks in a deep breath then chucks the chain down the hallway.

The silver chain lightly clinks as it collides with the wall and drops onto the floor. The light sound and flash of silver grabs the guard's attention. The shiny servant walks down the hall, leaving its post to investigate the disturbance. It swoops down to pick up the chain with its claws and holds the silver string up to the light to examine it. "What is this," the creature ponders as it cranes its head to the side in thought. The mirror minion begins to stand to return to its post when suddenly roaring pain erupts from the back of the creature's head. It crashes down back to the ground, face first; after a second the minion tries to get up once more, but more pain explodes from the back of its head in multiple waves. Blackness engulfs the creature's vision quickly, but before it does, the minion notices a white gloved hand taking the chain from its hand. It looks up out of the corner of its eye to see the man from the princess's room looming over then all fades to black.

_Well I am glad that Mario taught me where to strike when ambushing an enemy. "Hit the brainstem, if they have one Weegie. It will knock them out flatter than a pancake if done right." Ah my bro, I miss him right now._ Luigi thinks solemnly then shakes off the thought. _Can't reminisce now, I've got to save Daisy. I just hope the door doesn't have squeaky hinges like the ones at home._ Slowly and cautiously, he pushes the large set of metal doors open and slips into the room.

The room is dark, similar to the prince's chambers; dark granite stones make up the walls; however, black pennants hang from the rafters instead of red. Wood racks line the east and west walls, full of weapons, such as spears, bows, and swords, but the focus of the room is a fire pit with a single sword rack standing in the middle. A broadsword with an onyx hilt and garnets encrusted into the top of the handle sits in the rack. The blade is dull, but not rusted just has lost its luster after sitting in storage for so long. The tip however is not a dull silver like the rest of the blade, it is stained crimson similar to the jewels adorning the handle. "Behold my fair Floral, the blood of Tulip's lover. His blood trapped me here and now it will be the key to my escape. Once your heart blood mingles with his, I will be free to return to my beautiful kingdom in the real world."

"Spare me the drawn out, overdramatic, master plan speech Drama-King. I've heard it all before and quite frankly, its getting a little tiresome," Daisy quips annoyed.

"Cheeky little Floral, I sense your impatience and I understand. I will not make you wait much longer," the prince replies coolly.

"It has nothing to do with impatience Prince Creepy. All you power-hungry, self-centered, villian jerks always have to be overdramatic and bore the hell out of me."

"Ah yes, I can see how it would be tiresome to watch another rival in their victory," the prince concurs then lifts the stained sword from its rack. "I shall end your suffering then princess and my own," he points the sword at the left side of her chest.

Daisy's breathing becomes frantic, shallower as she begins to panic. She struggles against the mirror minions' grip, but to no avail as it becomes tighter. Her eyes widen and sweat collects on her brow as the red clad prince raises the sword above his head with both hands on the handle, the tip still pointing at her heart.

"I, Prince Galibrath, have fulfilled my punishment of banishment for hundreds of years and now I lift my curse. I shall join the bloodlines that I tore apart ages ago to atone for my sins of envy and murder. The hearts of Princess Floral and Drake the woodcarver will be one again!"

Daisy tightly shuts her eyes and sharply inhales waiting for the sword to plunge into her thus ending her life. Suddenly she hears Galibrath growl in pain and the grip of the minions loosen. She opens her eyes and sighs in relief as the sword crashes to the ground while the prince holds his bloody cheek.

Galbraith snaps his head up and looks to his left, noticing the dagger on the floor then to the right side of the room, spotting a figure in the shadows. "How dare you interrupt my curse lifting ceremony! Even worse you attack me like a coward, hiding in the shadows and not facing me like a real man of caliber."

"Snatching an unsuspecting princess from a mirror using minions is not very manly either, but you did it," the figure quips quietly then draws a sword from one of the racks along the wall. "Speaking of, I am here to take Daisy back to the real world," Luigi steps out into the light, holding the sword in a defensive position. "Alive."

"It's the guy from the room," one of the minions whispers to the prince.

"So you think you are going to be the big hero. The poor protagonist who hinders the wealthy antagonist, saves the damsel in distress, and rides off into the sunset having resolved all the conflict that has arose. How unfortunate for you, my optimist adversary, that this scenario will not play out as perceived. I have been denied my dream once, and I will be damned if I let it slip away once more." The prince grabs the sword off of the floor and points it toward the princess once more. "Sorry friend, but this time the protagonist loses!" Galbraith pulls back his arm ready to strike with the sword, Luigi begins to run forward to tackle the prince, and Daisy whips her right arm forward sending the distracted minion holding her arm flying toward Galibrath. The minion collides with the prince causing him to step back and drop the sword the Luigi tackles the pair from the side. They all fall down to the ground and have the wind knocked out of them.

Meanwhile, with her right arm free, the Floral princess punches the other guard in the face and pushes him off of her and onto the floor. She turns and runs to the door only hesitating to not run out through it as she remembers Luigi is still in the fray. She turns around to spot him on top of the dog pile. "Luigi?"

The green plumber scrambles to his feet and runs for the door, "Go, go," he orders exasperated. The pair springs out the door and sprints up the hall to the first intersection, where Luigi was hiding earlier. After turning, the princess and plumber continue rushing through the corridors.

"Where do we go now," Daisy asks anxiously between deep breaths.

"Uh, this way I think," Luigi answers unsure.

"We just came from there," Daisy exclaims frustrated. "If we don't find the right room soon, I'm going to end up like a shish kabob!"

"I know, I'm trying! Don't yell at me, it makes me nervous," Luigi yells back.

"You're always nervous," Daisy huffs. "We should go this way."

"Fine, if you know better. We'll do it your way," Luigi gives in, and then follows the Floral princess. After a couple of minutes of running through the corridors with no success, Daisy turns to the following plumber. "Okay I'm lost," she begrudgingly admits.

"Well we can't be too far off," the younger Mario Brother states optimistically as he continues down the hall then turns left to spot a door left open in the next hallway. "There it is! I must have left the door open," he exclaims excitedly as he points to it.

"Thank heavens, lets get out of here," Daisy exclaims relieved.

"There they are! Grab 'em!" The pair look back to see a group of ten minion hot on their trail. Quickly, Daisy grabs Luigi's arm and they sprint into the room, slamming the door behind them.

The concerned king stares at the oval, standing mirror contemplating how to get through to the other side. He feels useless and helpless, two characteristics that a king should never feel during a crisis, even one of such a personal nature. "Chizer any progress on penetrating the portal," Thorne asks commandingly to his adviser.

"No sire, but I have the scholars working on it," the older chibibo answers nervously.

The king sighs, "All right then, how about Mario? When does his plane land?"

"The Mushroom Kingdom's royal jet should arrive at the airport any minute now. We have a carriage waiting for them, so anywhere from ten to twenty minutes your highness."

"Hopefully if we cannot figure out how to get to the other side of this portal, he can," the king looks up at the group of princes, who are standing quietly on the opposite side of the room, then turns his back to them to hide the worried look on his face. His eyes sadly look to the ground as he contemplates the worst then he hears a faint voice yelling 'block the door!' which causes his head to perk up. "What was that?"

"What was what sir," Chizer asks as he and the princes stare at the king befuddled.

"I can't the furniture won't move! We have to hold them back," another faint voice exclaims.

"Those voices! Can't you hear them?" The king turns toward the mirror, following the sound and sees a struggle unfold in front of him, in the reflection of the mirror. His daughter and the younger Mario Brother are throwing themselves against the bedroom door, trying to keep out intruders from rushing in. "Daisy," Thorne exclaims as he slams his hand on the mirror's surface trying to get her attention. The princes and Chizer rush over behind the king to see what is going on.

Daisy pushes forward with all her strength to help keep the door shut; she turns around and plasters her back against the door while digging into the floor with her shoes. She hears her name and looks up at the mirror, seeing the outline of her father. "Dad! Luigi, it's my dad! Omph," their grip on the door wanes for a second, but quickly they regain it.

Luigi looks up at the mirror and studies the old king's face; full of anxiety, worry, and hope. It reminds him of his father before he and Mario went into the plumbing business. At the time, his father was worried about their financial future. Not exactly a life or death situation like this, but the look is still the same. The look of fatherly concern, where a father is unsure of what is come for his children, but is unable to do anything to change it. Luigi bites his lower lip in though then turns to the Sarsaraland princess. "Daisy when I say go, make a break for it, we can't hold them off forever!"

"Alright when you say go, we'll make a run for it," Daisy reiterates as she positions herself to be able to spring from her spot.

The beating coming from the other side of the door slows and the Mario Brother makes the call, "Go Daisy!"

The desert princess sprints to the mirror and dives through into the awaiting crowd. "Omph," she barrels head first into her father's stomach and takes him down to the floor with her as she lands.

"Daisy," Thorne exclaims happily as he hugs his daughter.

"Missed you too Dad," the princess replies as she enjoys her father's embrace. "I'm sorry I caused you to worry. I didn't..."

"That does not matter. You are safe, that is what is important now," Thorne interjects soothingly then kisses her on the forehead.

"Wah!" He is thrown across the room as he overpowered by the united force of minions on the other side of the door. Scrambling to his feet, Luigi runs for the mirror, but is tackled to the floor a few feet from it by the iridescent beings. "Get off of me," the green clad plumber orders to no avail. Slowly the weight decreases as the minions slide off; the final two hold the plumber by the arms and face him toward the door. Prince Galibrath enters the room and looks at Luigi.

"I see not all is lost," the ebony haired prince notes as he approaches the mirror. "Good evening King Floral."

"Who is this flaking loony," Thorne asks his daughter.

"Prince Galibrath, he's responsible for all of this; talking and taunting me in my sleep then kidnapping me," Daisy informs, not wanting to look into the mirror.

"Uh King Floral there is a problem, he has a captive," Peasley observes pointing to the mirror.

"Astute observation my green fellow," Galibrath notes as he waves his men forward with Luigi in tow. "As you see, I have your green clad friend prisoner."

"Luigi! We have to do something Dad; we just can't leave him there," Daisy pleads.

"I propose a trade, I give you the man and you give me the princess," the prince states.

"Never, there is no way you are getting your hands on my daughter again," Thorne bellows; "I will make sure of it!" The king turns to Chizer, "Go to the locked closet at the end of the hall and retrieve my mallet."

"Yes sire," Chizer immediately obeys then disappears for a couple of minutes. The chibibo returns with a wooden mallet. The king takes it from his vizier and hands it to Waluigi. "Use all your might and obliterate that portal," Thorne calmly orders.

"With pleasure," Waluigi smirks then raises the mallet over head for a swing.

"No! Don't," Daisy screams as she steps in between the Wario Brother and the mirror. "Please, I know you don't like your cousin, but I do and I would not be standing here if it wasn't for him. I will do anything you want, just don't trap him in there with that monster please. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let you. Please don't smash this mirror and trap a good man in limbo for the rest of time," Daisy pleads with tears dripping down her face.

"Alright you win," Waluigi softly surrenders; "I can't stand to see a woman cry." He swings the mallet to his side and sets it down.

"Thank you," she states gratefully as she hugs the lanky man. "I knew you weren't a bad guy."

"Can't count on anybody these days," Thorne mutters, then quickly grabs the mallet and swings it back.

"DAD NO!"

Thorne swings the mallet around and shatter the mirror, sending silver pieces showering to the floor. The king rests against the mallet, "I am sorry Dear, but I had to make the call between your safety and happiness. Your safety is my first concern."

"You Bastard! You threw the man who risked his life to save me to the very wolves trying to hurt me! How could you," Daisy angrily screeches before dropping down to the floor on her knees in front of the empty white wood frame. As she looks at the pieces of mirror scattered on the floor, she begins to cry then hides her face in her hands.

Suddenly footsteps echo from the staircase as Mario, Peach, and Toadsworth approach. The trio steps into the room bewildered at the sight in front of them: the king, Chizer, and the group of princes all looking downtrodden, Daisy kneeled over and crying, and a mirror shattered into hundreds of pieces. "What's going on here," Mario asks hoping to make sense of it all.

"I'm sorry Mario, you are too late," Thorne informs as he walks over to the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom and places his hand on the hero's shoulder. "You cannot save them all and I had to make a choice."

"You didn't have to do that! You condemned a man to death! A good man, my friend," Daisy sobs incoherently.

"What? What is she talking about? A choice, what choice are you talking about King Floral," Mario asks confused.

"Mario," Daisy sniffs, trying to collect herself. "Luigi is gone and there is no bringing him back.


	24. Raging Emotions

**Wow, look it only took a couple of days this time :) Yea! Well probably because when I first came up with this story this is one of the parts that first came to mind, just had to get here. Anyway, prepare for another strange twist :) I like strange twists, bwa ha ha! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, we all know this.**

**Chapter 24: Raging Emotions**

Luigi solemnly looks at the floor as the hourglass minions drag him down the corridors behind the prince. He is exuberant in the fact that Daisy is now safe and Galibrath's plans have failed, but he cannot help but wonder what his fate would be; he shudders at the thought of what the Mirror world prince is going to do to him. _I have survived a lot, but this just might be the end of the line,_ the younger Mario Brother worries. _This is not the way I expected it to end, but I guess I have very little choice in the matter. I regret nothing, but wish I could have done more with my life._ Finally he is led back to the armory where this all began and the prince addresses him.

"You insolent, ignorant peasant," Galibrath screeches. He slaps Luigi then turns away to pace back and forth. "Ruining my plans just like the damn woodcarver did so many years ago! Bah, now I will never get out of this cursed mirror world! I will live here forever as ruler, but you will die and leave this existence for a better one," he ends on an envious note.

Suddenly a horse female voice interrupts, "Prince Galibrath I summon thee!"

"Oh fantastic, that vexing hag is calling on me once more," the prince sighs irritably then snaps his fingers. The large tapestry hanging on the wall rolls up revealing another mirror, through it Kammy Koopa and Bowser sit in his throne room waiting for a response. "You called for my presence?"

"My master King Bowser wants a status report. Have you been able to combine the royal Floral bloodline with your love's old flame," Kammy inquires.

"I am afraid our deal is now null and void," the prince bluntly states.

"Null and void," Bowser roars furiously. "After all the work my minions and I did to set up the opportunity for you to free yourself and now you want to forget your end of the bargain? I don't think so flaky," the king states with fire spouting out of the corners of his mouth.

"Not by choice," Galibrath sternly answers, "my plans were thwarted.

"By who," Bowser impatiently asks.

"Bring him forward," the prince orders and the minions hold Luigi beside their ruler.

"The other Mario Brother," Bowser snarls.

"Don't you know my name by now? LUIGI," the green clad plumber spells out aggravated for the forgetful King of Koopas. _Can't believe this guy, I stomp on him numerous times with Mario and yet he can't even remember my name! Should have figured he was in on it though, but why make a pact with Galibrath? What's there to gain for him?_

"Damn Mario Brothers always ruin everything, but on the bright side that's one down, and one to go," Bowser smirks at his right hand sorceress. "I suggest prince that you enjoy disposing of him. Make him suffer," the Koopa King purrs evilly then turns back to Kammy and signals for her to cut off communication.

"Make him suffer," Galibrath repeats then turns to his captive. "Yes, well I had my own idea of what to do with you, my irritating protagonist. I shall make your last minutes in this life torturous and make you pay what you owe." The mirror prince turns toward the door and waves his minions forward. "Gentlemen to the Creation Chamber," he orders as he leads the group into the corridors once more.

"We can use this failure to our advantage," Bower exclaims excitedly.

"How your Vileness," Kammy inquires unsure.

"Simple, we strike when our enemies are at their weakest! Mario will be grieving over his brother's loss and surly he will have Peach by his side to console him. We just have to figure out where they are and attack," Bowser divulges.

"Your Wickedness if I may ask, how is striking now be anymore beneficial than any other time before?"

"Stupid hag weren't you listening? Mario will be devastated, feeling rather inadequate and not up to snuff; I will attack while his spirits are down and remind him of his failure thus getting the upper hand and crushing him with defeat finally," Bowser raises his fists in the air jubilantly.

"I don't know your Nastiness, that tactic is a double-edge sword. I remember quite a few times where that plumber has had the short end of the stick and it made him more motivated rather than less so," Kammy notes.

"The personal loss is overwhelming! It is going to work this time, do not question my tactics and send out our best scouts. I want to know where Mario and Princess Peach are. Now," King Koopa bellows thunderously, sending Kammy scrambling out the door without further argument.

"Gone, but how," Mario asks still dazed from the news. "I have brought him back from the Underwhere; if that's possible then surely I can bring him back from this!"

"No Mario, there isn't," Daisy replies wiping her face. "The only portal to the Mirror world was this mirror which is broken now," she growls as her eyes dart a death glare toward her father.

"If it is a mirror world then other mirrors should be able to serve as portals too," the red clad plumber argues.

"Not according to the Legend, my family's blood supposedly is the key to making all the mirror doors to that world open. I'm so sorry," she bawls; "I didn't mean for this to happen. It's all my fault. It should be me in there, stuck with that creep Galibrath, not Luigi. I f I had just never touched that stupid mirror, none of this would have happened!"

"Don't say that Daisy, it's not your fault," Peach consoles her friend.

"Yes it is," Daisy sniffs, again wiping her face, "because of me Mario will never see his brother again. Peach, you will never see your friend again, and I have forever lost a great friend...more than that," the desert princess somberly mumbles.

"We should move to the throne room and allow Chizer to clean up these mirror shards. Don't need anyone else getting hurt today," Thorne decrees. A mummer of consent comes from everyone as they start to head out the door, except the princesses and Mario.

"Daisy we should follow your father," Peach advises.

"I don't think I can stand to look at him right now," Daisy sobs.

"I know you're not happy with what he did, but he had to make a really hard decision and he made it out of love for you. The love of a father for his daughter," Peach reasons.

"I know that, but it still hurts. I've lost a great friend and am the reason for that loss," Daisy reiterates once more.

"It'll be okay," Peach assures as she hugs her friend.

Mario walks to the balcony doors and stares out. _I don't know about that Peach. My brother, my best friend, lost forever and I wasn't here to stop it or am able to fix it._ He discreetly wipes the tears off his cheeks, trying not to let the girls see. _Wherever you are little bro, I pray that you will be alright,_ more tears fall as the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom feels a pair of slender arms wrap around his shoulders.

"You are allowed to cry too you know. You don't have to hide them from me Sweetie," Peach whispers comfortingly.

"I'm just really going to miss him," Mario cries before he bites down to stop his quivering lip.

"I am going to miss him too. We all will," Peach assures as she hugs her mourning man.

The prince leads the party to another set of large metal doors, but these doors have an impression of a fountain on the door which makes Luigi raise an eyebrow quizzically before being dragged inside. Upon entering the plumber notices the walls and ceiling are the same sunshine blocked by clouds pattern as from the ceilings in the hallways leading here, but the floor is covered in a turbulent liquid. _There must be a leak somewhere,_ Luigi deducts slipping into a plumber mind-frame. As he looks around he notices little islands erupting from the liquid; a few with metallic trees and other shrubbery sprouting out of them, others just barren, but the largest island sets out toward the middle of the never ending looking room, with a fountain overflowing with the silver liquid.

"This chamber, peasant, is where all Mirrorites are born," the prince explains.

"Mirrorites? That's the best name you could come up with? Why not the Iridescents, Iridescenions, or the Reflectoids," Luigi asks smarting off, but also slightly curious.

"Do not patronize me you interfering mongrel," Gailbrath spouts angrily then composes himself with a cough. "As I was saying, from this liquid the Mirrorites are born and reborn," the prince moves aside as a pair of Mirrorites bring in another over their heads. "Just like other living organisms the Mirrorites die, and their bodies are deposited back into this room to once again become part of the Nigatta." The iridescent hourglass people slide the body of the third into the liquid and the body sinks under the surface of the silver pool and disappears. "The Nigatta is the lifeblood of these people. I have yet to understand all of the properties of this substance, but I do know that the Nigatta can create any sort of creature of its choosing, such as the vegetation you see in this room. However, despite it being a creative organism, it will be the means of destruction of you." Galibrath refocuses his attention to Luigi. "You stole the opportunity for the Mirrorites to transcend this world and experience the one they mimic so well. It is a crime against the entire Mirrorite population and for that you shall pay with your life to the Nigatta." The prince motions for the minions to push the green clad plumber to the ground and hold him there on his back.

"How is stopping you from murdering my friend a crime against an entire race? I don't think the Mirrorites really want to leave their world. I think you are just bitter about your plans failing and pawning it off as a crime just to save face in front of your people," Luigi counters as he struggles to look at the prince while pinned down.

"Silence! No more of your blasphemy! I will let you feel the wrath of my people through their lifeline; you belong to the Nigatta now!" Galibrath announces then kneels on top of Luigi's arms and grabs the plumber around the throat. "Now you will suffer the same fate as the woodcarver, death," the prince whispers then forces Luigi's head into the silver waters of the Nigatta.

"Are the troops mobilized," Bowser asks in more of a bellowing demand than a question.

"Your Evilness the air troops are ready for the trek and the ships have all been prepped," a red shelled koopa informs while saluting the Koopa King.

"Land troops are prepared to march into enemy territory. They have boarded the ships and are ready to go," a goomba informs, continuing the Darkland Pre-Invasion Preparation Protocol.

"Excellent," Bowser smirks with a toothy grin. "Kammy! Kamek! Report now!"

The witch rides up to the Darkland tyrant upon her broom as the wizard materializes in front of the ruler out of thin air. "Yes Lord Bowser," both magically inclined koopas ask simultaneously.

"Did your spies confirm the whereabouts of my arch nemesis and Princess Peach?"

"Yes your Vileness, my spy spotted the royal jet landing at the Sarsaraland airport not, but forty five minutes ago," Kammy reports.

"My spy saw Mario and Princess Peach enter the Floral castle about a half-hour ago," Kamek smugly reports, feeling that he has one-upped his rival. Kammy sighs, irritated causing Kamek to smile wider.

"Now that we are quite certain of their location, we march upon Sarsaraland and take what is rightfully mine," Bowser proclaims as he gestures with his claws. "Before I give the order though, where is my son?"

"Right behind ya Dad," Bowser Jr. excitedly answers as he runs up from behind to his father.

"That's my boy!" Bowser proudly brags then turns to his son. "Are you ready for a second chance at the Sarsaraland Kingdom son?"

"Let's show 'em who's boss Dad," Junior elatedly answers causing Bowser to smile.

"Let's son," Bowser agrees then lifts his on onto his shoulder and board the flagship of his aerial armada. "Troops of Darkland, let us swiftly march upon our enemies' land, tear down their walls and castles, strike fear into their hearts, and claim their land as our own! To Sarsaraland," Bowser roars, rallying his troops as they head toward the Floral Kingdom.

King Thorne, Chizer, Mario, Peach, Daisy, Toadsworth, and the princes all sit in the throne room in silence; no one making eye contact with anyone, all eyes glued to the floor until thinks aloud. "So what do we do now?"

"That's a great question Prince Toffee. We do the only thing we can do, which is move on," Thorne answers calmly.

"Move on? That is your great philosophical answer," Daisy bursts out angrily, rising to her feet.

"Princess Daisy, calm down," Chizer scolds.

"No I will not calm down!"

"Yes Dear that is my answer," Thorne answers as he waves at his vizier to stop. "What else are we to do? Wallow in sadness and remorse making us vulnerable? I think not. IT is best to make our peace with the situation and move forward as fast as possible," the king rebuttals sternly.

"Well excuse me for wallowing in sadness Dad! I just lost a great friend, leaving this huge hole in my life and you want me to move on like nothing happened? Do you have any emotions at all or did you throw that away too after Mom died?"

"Uh oh," Chizer cringes.

"Do not bring up your mother's untimely demise while arguing with me young lady! You have no idea the toll that took upon me and this kingdom! The loss of your friend pales in comparison!"

"The toll it took upon you and the kingdom? She was my mother! I know exactly the toll and losing my friend is not any easier," Daisy screams in response.

"Is losing a brother pale in comparison King Floral," Mario solemnly asks as he waits for a response. The red clad plumber bows his head once more, unsure if he should continue until a small gloved hand grasps his. He looks up to see Peach, her soft features surrounded by golden locks staring encouragingly at him. Her sky blue eyes pierce his own giving him the motivation to stand up and look directly at the king. "Well is it?"

Thorne simply shakes his head no and Daisy sits back down onto the floor.

"You're damn right it's not! My own flesh and blood died for yours today, and you don't even have the decency to allow for his family and friends to mourn? At least Daisy cares and understands there has been a great lost, but you treat it like a calculated and necessary causality. My brother was my best friend, confidant, and loyal sidekick who would stand by me no matter how ridiculous, crazy, or dangerous it would be and always would love and support me. There are not may people who do that anymore King Floral, and when you find one you hold onto them. My brother's loss might not matter to you, but it matter to me, to Peach, and to your daughter; so do us all a favor and act like you at least give a damn and let us take the time, space, and support we need to deal to with the situation!" Fire blazes in Mario's eyes as he scolds Thorne for his behavior.

"I'm sorry," Thorne quietly replies as his eyes dart from Mario to the floor.

"Thank you," Mario replies quietly as he takes a couple of deep breathes to calm down. Peach stand up beside Mario and grasps his hand once more, showing her support with a simple gesture before turning to address the king.

"King Floral, would you be so kind to let us stay for a night or two, considering the circumstances? I know there is no pending business, but we are all drained and wish to rest up before heading back to our kingdom," Peach asks as a cordial diplomat would.

"Of course Princess Peach. It is the least I can do considering all that you and your friends have done and sacrificed for my kingdom," Thorne answers humbled. "Chizer escort our guests to their rooms and make sure they get everything they need. Princes, unload their luggage and carry it up to their rooms." The princes merely nod and follow Chizer and the guests out of the throne room, leaving the king and princess in tense silence.

The water fills his lungs causing them to feel like they are burning, but more intensely; as the silver liquid is slightly thicker than normal water, more like paint that coats rather runs off. The plumber tries with all his might to lift his upper body, but cannot due to the weight of the prince sitting on his torso. He thrashes his head trying to wriggle it loose from Galibrath's hands clinched around his throat, unsuccessfully. Suddenly the prince pulls Luigi out of the water and the younger Mario Brother coughs out the liquid in his lungs. As he takes a breath of blessed oxygen he is forced down again. This time Luigi tries to hold his breath, but after a minute he blows out all the carbon dioxide trapped in his lungs, creating bubbles that float to the surface. The silver liquid of the Nigatta seeps into his respiratory system again the burning returns as furiously as ever. It only gets worse as no oxygen makes it to the young plumber's lungs. His vision goes black as his body goes limp, no longer able to fight his suppressor anymore.

"Ah it is done," Galibrath gloats contently as he stands up. "Now that the trash is disposed of, I can get back to business. You two," he points to the pair of guards that accompanied him to the chamber; "dump the body into the Nigatta. I am sure it will consume it quite happily then follow me to the laboratory. It is time to ascertain whether there has been progress made in the quest of vanquishing my condition." The prince steps out the doors as the mirror minions push Luigi's body into the silver pool of water and watch it disappear from the surface.


	25. Unexpected Company

**Hey everybody! Sorry this took so long; promise it will be worth it though! ^_^ I went nuts, three chapters at once; I was on a roll! So enjoy chapters 25-27 :D Whee!**

**Disclaimer: You know what goes here...**

**Chapter 25: Unexpected Company**

"Are you going to speak to me," the salt and pepper haired king asks his daughter after twenty minutes of silence.

"Where's Grandma," Daisy asks coldly. "I'd rather speak to her."

"She is out with Madeline for the day," Thorne replies irked. "Look I am sorry for how I acted. Mario was right, I should allow you all some grieving time, but you know me Daisy. Emotions are not my strong point. Always been taught that a king with his heart on his sleeve is one with a target on his back and a short reign in store. Your mother was much better at this than I. I miss her you know," Thorne solemnly states. "And I wasn't going to allow some chump take you away from me. I love you and I would be devastated if I lost you too."

"I know Dad, I miss her too," Daisy agrees. "It'll be okay, just give me sometime. I love you too Dad, even though you can be so stubborn and impossible sometimes," the Floral princess lightheartedly jabs.

"Well I am the one whom you get your bull-headedness from," Thorne quips with a smile. The tension is relieved for a brief minute before the throne room doors are flung open and a dirt covered noboken runs in.

"What Thorne asks furiously. "Who is responsible?"

"I don't know your majesty; I only saw them briefly before I came to warn you. A fleet of aerial pirate ships with canons firing down upon the villagers is all I saw," the noboken describes.

"Its Darkland Dad! Peach told me about these ships, she was kidnapped and held hostage at the center of the universe by Bowser and his son on one of those ships," Daisy briefly explains.

"That scale-faced fiend is back to finish the job he debacled the first time! Sound the alarms and call the troops to arm," the Floral King orders. Minutes later the siren wails, calling all guards to report for duty in the throne room. As the troops assemble, Daisy runs up the stairs to Peach's room and pounds on the door.

"Daisy what's going on," Peach asks confused as she covers her ears to block out the siren's wails.

"Bowser is attacking again," the desert princess informs.

"We have to get you two somewhere safe," Toadsworth proclaims panicked. "I cannot afford to lose one of you to that fire-breathing brute once more!"

"Neither can I," Chizer chimes in. "We should consult the king on where to hide." The chibibo advisor springs up and runs down toward the throne room once more with Mario, Toadsworth, and the princesses in tow.

"Ha ha ha, smash it all," Bowser laughs, enjoying the carnage that he is unleashing upon the outskirts of Floral Village.

"Dad when are we going to hit the castle," Bowser Jr. asks as the stone building comes into view.

"Soon son, just need to drop off some of the land troops first," Bowser answers patting his son on the head. "Kamek release the first two ships of ground troops," King Koopa orders to his right hand wizard.

"Yes sir," Kamek confirms as he teleports to the first ship.

"Kammy! Signal for the first half of flyers to stay back at the village with Kamek then follow us with the rest to the castle," Bowser orders to his faithful right hand witch.

"Right away, your Wretchedness," Kammy confirms as she flies off on her broom back to the trailing group of flyers.

"To the castle," the Koopa King commands as he leads the flagship toward their target.

"Wake up young hero," a cast of strange, dreamy voices order. "Wake up."

"Ugh, what...where am I," the green clad man asks aloud as he staggers up. He opens his eyes only to cover them again as the light is blinding, all he can see is five rough silhouettes. "Who are you?"

"It is not for us to decide your time, we serve only one and our orders are not to destroy, but help create," the voices echo again. "We fear we have made a mistake this time; however, be careful young hero. Now go, you still have much to do." Suddenly the silhouettes disappear and the man falls back into darkness.

Cool liquid flows across his gloved fingers, causing them to twitch, then the liquid also begins to swirl around his resting face. The chilly water touching his nose causes him to stir, pulling his head up from the land it was resting on. "Uh, where am I," he asks groggily then looks at his left hand. It is resting upon sand with silver liquid flowing over it. The young man pushes himself to his feet and spots the source of flowing liquid, an overflowing fountain. "I'm alive," he questions, astonished then pinches himself to make sure he is not dreaming. "I'm alive! But how? I drowned; was it those people? They said they can only create, not destroy," the young man reminisces then turns back to the fountain. _It couldn't be, could it? Is the Nigatta really a group of beings who are in charge of taking care of the mirror race and creating whatever they need to survive? Wait, they said they made a mistake, to be careful. What did they mean,_ the green clad plumber thinks rapidly then scratches his head in puzzlement. _Or am I just going crazy? Maybe it was some delusional dream? I got to get out of here before I have a mental breakdown._ The younger Mario Brother carefully steps down the slope of the sandy isle with the fountain to the edge where it meets the choppy pool of silver water. "Okay carefully," the man cautiously shuffles down the beach and gradually into the water, finding it to be waist high. _This is pretty deep_, he notes as he looks down at his reflection and seeing the water come up to his stomach. _Hope I can find the exit soon; hey another island! Maybe I can spot the exit from there. _He wades through the water for about five minutes until he reaches a different island, which has a pair of metallic trees sprouting from the middle. _I'll climb up there and see if I can see it_, he clambers onto the island and trudges to the trees. Carefully he climbs up the larger palm tree and settles into the spawning point of the leaves on the top. _There it is due East!_ Quickly he slips down the tree and hits the sandy ground once more. _All I have to do is get over the doors then I can find a way out of this place; I'm not sure how yet, but there has got to be a way,_ he optimistically thinks as he steps in the water once more; however after the second step he stops as he finds the land drops drastically and he is not prepared. "Whoa! Big drop, good thing I stopped," he notes then looks down at the water swirling ankle deep at this point. He carefully steps down into the drop and moves further into the pool when he notices that something is amiss. The water is calmer in this spot and as he looks at it all he sees is the reflection of the ceiling. He looks down where his reflection should be and sees nothing. "Okay, kind of spooky," the plumber gulps nervously. _Time to backtrack,_ he thinks anxiously as he makes his way back to the island with the two metallic palm trees. He scrambles up onto the island and takes a couple of breaths. _That's just freaky! Okay come on, my mind must be playing tricks on me, unless I am dead and am just a soul floating around with no body!_ He shakes off the panicky paranoid thought, _I am breathing and able to feel things; I am not dead. There must be an explanation right? I'll just go back to the water and figure it out_, he steps back out to just before the drop off where the water swells around his ankles and studies the water. "I still don't see anything," he whispers to himself. A dark silhouette forms in the surface of the water and the young man sighs in relief. "Ha, there I am! I just can't see it very clearly," he squats down to inspect the reflection closer, but cannot make out any details until he spots the green of his hat in the reflection. "Ah my hat, looks right, but the white insignia looks a little dark." He spots more green down by his neck, expecting to see his shirt, but instead sees what looks like a scarf. "What's that? That's not right," he states befuddled the n works back up to his face where he sees the reflection of his mustache and nose, but his eyes are still dark. "This is some odd water, I have my eyes open; I should be able to see the blue at least." He leans closer then the reflection's eyes open to show a pair of storm cloud, gray irises. "Ahhh!" He stumbles back, falling into the shallow water behind him. The reflection does not mimic his falling action. As he recovers from his fall, he looks back at the reflection and it waves a gray gloved hand. Frantically the man scuttles, crab-style, back onto the island shore where his feet are still engulfed in the silver water, but the rest of him, sitting on the sand. "What? How did it do that," the young plumber gasps scared and confused. "It didn't even look right! Is that even my reflection?" He leans forward to peer into the water once more to find the reflection still the same in appearance, but now raising its arms up as if to grab something. _What is it doing?_ The reflection's arm rises up then lowers once again, it looks like the reflection is pushing itself up from a reclining position. Suddenly a green hat erupts from the water, followed by a head and black clad body. "Oh no, it can't be! No you are a figment of my imagination," the man screams in disbelief and terror.

The reflection sits reclined, his arms propping his upper body as his legs are bent in front of him. "What's the matter Luigi, pumpkin? Aren't you glad to finally see me? The one and only Green Thunder!"

"What a wonderful day! It's perfect for a day for shopping," Madeline notes as she soaks in the sun.

"I completely agree Madeline, but I think the best part is just getting out of the castle for a little while," Hyacinth states.

"Been extra stressful with all the prince hubbub and security increases," the blue shelled nobokon asks.

"Yes, I mean when everyone is stressed out it makes it hard to relax you know. The fact that I could not go anywhere without that stuffy, killjoy Chizer asking me twenty questions or some guard following me everywhere. I had to practically bully Thorne into letting me come out with you without any escort," the elderly queen complains. "Honestly who is going to come after the former queen? There is no gain in it, so why should I have to sacrifice my freedom for some silly fear?"

"Well Hyacinth I appreciate them protecting you. I want you to be around awhile you know," Madeline disagrees. "Now granted, you are not the first logical target, but still could be. You never know with these hooligans these days."

"Even so, I wouldn't let them take me alive," Hyacinth defends.

"Well I know that my dear, they would get quite the shock if they dared consider you a target," Madeline chuckles. "I would pay to see some young pup try to take you hostage. Definitely get more than they could chew with a firecracker like you."

"Either one of us really," Hyacinth notes.

"Oh if it was both of us then they would end up running home with their tails tucked between their legs," Madeline giggles.

"Ah now that I would pay to see," Hyacinth snickers then turns serious as a shadow looms overhead. "Madeline, what's that?"

"Probably just a cloud," the elderly nobokon predicts then turns her head to the sky. Her moth drops wide as she realizes that the shadows belong to flying ships instead of cumulus clouds. "Hyacinth it's a flying armada!"

The elderly queen looks up and gasps at the sight of the enormous ships flying overhead. Hyacinth then squints up at the unfurled flag which she recognizes right away. "It's the Darkland armada, that means...," she quickly turns to head toward the castle.

"Where are you going," Madeline asks confused and concerned.

"They are going to hit the castle! I have to be there to help stop it!"

"Are you crazy? We are not spring chickens Hyacinth! A few young punks we could handle, but with numbers like that we will overwhelmed within seconds! The best thing we can do is take refuge in my house," Madeline reasons.

"But I can't just let them invade my home and hurt my family," Hyacinth states with a quivering lip.

"The castle has all the guards and defenses; they will be fine. We have to take care of us and let them deal with Dino-tyrant up there," Madeline argues. "Now come on, let's go!"

"Oh I guess your right," Hyacinth agrees as she jobs over to her friend, holding her hat down on her head as she runs.

"Good now lets go this way, it's the quickest," Madeline informs as she grabs her friend's hand and beings to run. The elderly pair stops suddenly as they spot other villagers running toward them being chased by goombas, beetles, and various other Darkland inhabitants. "Or maybe we will go the other way," Madeline corrects and drags Hyacinth left to take the long way.

As they run through the square, they are spotted by a pair of paragoombas who follow them into the residential area off the square. One street before the road Madeline lives on; the paragoombas make their move and swoop down upon the former queen and her blue shelled companion, knocking them down. "Ha ha, look this Ron; just like taking candy from a baby," one of the paragoombas gloats causing the other to smile.

The ladies pull themselves to their feet and look at each other. "Want to teach these punks about respecting their elders," Hyacinth asks with a fiery confidence.

"Of course darling, I am going to enjoy it," Madeline grins then the pair joins hands and charge at the low-flying mushrooms. The fliers easily dodge the women's charge as they take to the air.

"That's it? Please I thought you were going to make it a challenge," the paragoomba apparently named Ron teases. The two begin to chuckle, but Ron's giggling is cut short when a flying purse slams into his face and knocks him to the ground. "Oomph," the Darkland minion gasps as his body lands harshly on the ground. He tries to roll to his feet, but is stopped when Madeline tackles him down.

"Let's clip his wings shall we," Madeline smirks as Hyacinth walks around and yaks on the fallen paragoomba's wings.

"Aaahhh! Oww oww! Stop, stop! Tom help! Tom," Ron screams out as the elderly queen finally rips off the goomba's wing like a piece of paper from a notebook.

"I'm coming Ron!" Tom cries as he swoops down and knocks down Hyacinth then positions himself from another sweep.

Hyacinth brushes off and stands up, facing the airborne goomba. "Come and get me you ugly fungus," she patronizes as she curls up her index finger, daring the goomba to come closer. The paragoomba swoops again, but is caught as the elderly Floral dodges the goomba's body with a sharp lean and grabs it by the foot. She then slams it on the ground next to its buddy.

The nobokon quickly pins down the second goomba with her front claws as she keeps the first one pinned with her body. "Time to go out with a bang," Madeline sinisterly grins as she ignites the blue shell bomb on her back. The goombas gulp heavily and squirm trying to escape, but fail. A loud bang erupts as an explosion engulfs them. The smoke gradually blows away revealing Hyacinth and a now shell-less Madeline standing in the middle of the road coughing.

"Now that was fun," Hyacinth states excitedly as she victoriously pumps her arms in the air. Her back lets out a loud creak leading her to quickly bend over and massage her aching back. "Maybe we are getting to old for this."

"I told you we are not spring chickens anymore, but you know what we still got it," Madeline coughs. "But anyway, we need to get going."

"Yes, it is probably best that we recoup," Hyacinth agrees.

"Well yeah that and because this is embarrassing," Madeline confesses.

"Embarrassing? How?"

"A nobokon without a shell! I might as well be naked! Come on, I have a couple of spares at the house," Madeline explains then leads the hustle to the house.

"I told you that one day I would reign again and today is finally that day," Mr. L gloats with a smug smirk.

"It will be a short lived day," Luigi counters.

"We shall see about that Junior!" Mr. L springs from his crouched position, trying to tackle Luigi.

The plumber easily dodges as he jumps from the beach into the water letting the doppelganger pass overhead. "No wonder Mario beat you so easily! You're going to have to do better than that," the younger Mario Brother taunts his darker side.

"Is that cockiness I detect? Cockiness from you: the weaker, timid, pathetic, Mario Brother? Ha! I know you are not stupid enough to taunt your superior!" The ex-Count Bleck henchman springs once again and this time, hits his target. He tackles Luigi into the silver water of the Nigatta. After he lands on top of the plumber, Mr. L pins Luigi down and tries to grab his alter ego's shoulders so he can push the green clad man into the water.

The younger Mario Brother prevents Mr. L from reaching his shoulders by grabbing the doppelganger's wrists and so they struggle against each other; neither one gaining full advantage since they are evenly matched. Finally Luigi is able to squirm enough to pull his legs up to his chest and kick his darker counterpart in the stomach, launching him five feet back. "Eya! You are going to regret ever crawling out of my head," the green Mario Brother grunts as he charges at the dark clad Mr. L.

"Pfft, please," Mr. L replies unshaken as he rolls his eyes then steps out of the plumber's path and sticks his leg out. Luigi slams into the outstretched leg and stumbles face first into the shallow water and up the beach of one of the islands. "I will never regret getting out of that prison you call a mind! However, it was instrumental time to read up on you, my warden. To gain knowledge of all your secrets and weaknesses so that I can finally strike you down! Have at you!" In his grey gloves, he starts a small spark of green electricity that grows into a softball-sized orb and then he hurls it at Luigi.

The plumber's eyes grow wide and he is barely able to scramble out of the way of the crackling projectile. "Electricity? I can't do that! How can you," the younger Mario Brother asks befuddled.

"You were able to once or do you not remember? The Thunder God teaching you on Oho Oasis; in the Thunder Palace during your escapade to help those annoying bean people." Mr. L shoots a quick green bolt out of his finger like a gun, but misses his target barely as the plumber dodges with a roll. "I had complete access to your memories and unlike you, able to perfect the technique; hence why I am the Green Thunder!" He mimics the shape of a fun with both of his hands and rapidly fires bolts out of his fingers at the fumbling plumber.

"Ramming speed," Bowser orders as his ship draws closer to the castle. The hammer brother behind the wheel throws the throttle forward to full blast and braces for impact. The ship pummels into the stone perimeter wall and plows into the courtyard, uprooting the grass as it skids to a stop just before the pond. "Excellent! Sneaking in through the back! Great landing Sergeant," Bowser compliments.

"No problem sir," the hammer bro replies shakily then collapses on the steering wheel.

"Ready to go son?"

"Uh Dad, I don't think we'll be able to sneak in," Bowser Jr. points out as two dozen guards pour out the glass balcony doors.

Bowser grins "Leave it to me Jr." The Koopa King roars with the force of thunder then inhales and releases a spray of fire.

"Darkland's forces have landed at the front gates Sire and Bowser himself has penetrated the defenses in the back! I've sent men to hold them off, but he is ripping through them like tissue paper," Herb rapidly reports, overwhelmed. "I must suggest a tactical retreat your highness, for your own safety."

"No, I will not let that repulsive reptile drive me away from my castle," Thorne replies defiantly.

"King Floral, I must agree with Herb on this one," Mario chimes in. "If Bowser gets his claws on you, the kingdom is lost. I'll stay here and fend off old lizard face. You should go with the princesses to the stronghold."

"You're right Mario," Thorne begrudgingly agrees with a sigh. "I must put the kingdom ahead of my pride. Thank you Mario for volunteering to stay behind and fend off that horrible tyrant."

"Don't thank me yet your Highness, I haven't beaten him back yet. Now go before its too late," Mario advises.

"Good luck Mario," Thorne wishes the hero before disappearing out of the door with Chizer in tow.

_Thanks, I'm going to need it, _Mario thinks as he feels the pounding of Bowser's feet getting heavier as he comes closer. The crashing of stone bricks and screams of defeated guards also become louder and more numerous until suddenly a spot in the west wall of the throne room explodes as a bob-omb explodes.

Bowser pushes his head through the hole and scans the room, "King Floral, where are you?" The Koopa King steps through the wall and into the deserted throne room. "Come out King Floral and tell me where Princess Peach is!"

"So that's why you're here! And for a minute I thought you had wised up and given up on kidnapping Peach," Mario quips.

"Mario, what a pleasant surprise! Are you ready to finally taste defeat by my claws," Bowser asks with a grin.

"Keep dreaming because it's never going to happen, King Bowsie," Mario taunts.

"Argh stop calling me that," Bowser roars vexed then charges at the red clad plumber.


	26. Fending Off Foes

**Chapter two of a three chapter upload ^_^**

**Chapter 26: Fending Off Foes**

The chibibo advisor and the king run out of the throne room and into the hall. "This way sire," Chizer instructs as he dashes toward the stairs, but instead of heading up the stairs he runs beside them and reveals a secret door as he knocks on it causing it to pop open. "Down here your majesty," Chizer motions.

"Hey wait for us," Prince Toffee pleads as he, Pine, and Cashmire run down the stairs.

"How did you know we were going to be here," Chizer asks irately, not liking the fact that they knew of the secret passage.

"Herb told us when we first arrived," Pine pants. The three princes wait for the king to start descending down the hidden stairs before following him in.

"Wait, where are Prince Peasley and Duke Waluigi," Chizer asks panicked as he notices the missing courtiers.

"Those crazy nuts volunteered to hold off the troops so we could escape," Cashmire answers following Pine down the stairs.

"Follow the passage and there will be a large steel door at the end, just knock rapidly three times then again four times. Toadsworth should let you in," Chizer informs then closes the door and scrambles up the stairs to look out for the missing princes.

"There are too many of them," Peasley yells as he tries to out maneuver five paragoombas and three para-beetles.

"Waa ha ha! Take that," Waluigi challenges as he chucks another bob-omb down the hall and sends a large group of ground troops splattering against the walls. "Ha ha ha ha!" More troops come to replace their fallen comrades and Waluigi digs into his bag for another bob-omb, but comes out empty handed. "Uh oh, ahh! Run away, run away!" The lanky Wario Brother yells as he turns and runs from the advancing forces.

Peasley makes a sharp turn close to the wall on his flying bean causing the paragoombas to crash into the wall while the para-beetles continue their pursuit. The beanish prince then lines up with the fleeing Wario Brother and descends to just above his head. "Mr. Waluigi grab on," Peasley orders as he passes overhead.

Waluigi cranes his head up to see a blue-green bean with wings zoom over his head. HE reaches out and grabs onto the floating bean then is lifted off the ground. He looks back and to his relief, the ground troops fade out of sight, but as he looks further up he spots the para-beetles hot on their trail. "Ack! Bean-boy we've got company! Do something," Waluigi orders with wide eyes.

"Hold on," Peasley yells then begins to zigzag through the air, trying to confuse the Darkland pursuers.

"Waa aaahhhh aaaaahhhh!" Waluigi yells as he is tossed side to side like a rag doll in a dryer. The para-beetles are not shaken by Peasley's avoidance maneuvers and draw closer; enough so that the lead beetle is able to chomp down onto Waluigi's foot. "OW! Get it off! Get it off of me," the purple clad man yells then let's go of the bean with one arm and slams his fist down trying to hit the beetle's head, but hits his own leg instead. "Agh errr! You son of a ...," the Wario Brother curses with gritted teeth. Peasley steers over to the wall, almost grazing it with the wings of his bean transportation. Waluigi slams his leg against the wall, sending the beetle on his foot jarring into the castle stone. The shock causes the flier to release his grip on the lanky man's leg and fall to the ground. "Ha! Take that stupid bug," Waluigi gloats for a second before spotting the other two catching up. "Damn."

"Prince Peasley, Duke Waluigi over here," Chizer calls from down the hall.

"Mr. Chizer! We're coming," Peasley answers as he leans forward even more to make the winged bean fly faster.

The chibibo vizier turns and runs back for the stairs confusing Peasley. As the Beanbean prince draws closer, Chizier jumps up onto the stairwell rail and runs back to look at the pair flying towards him. "Jump," he yells as he springs off the rail to the floor below.

Peasley's mouth drops open as he watches the chibibo disappear, but quickly shakes off the shock; knowing that Chizer did it for a reason and that he should follow suit. He races forward and braces himself to jump. "Mr. Waluigi get ready to drop...," Peasley warns.

"Are you crazy? No way beanie! You go on your own," the lanky Wario Brother yells contemptuously. The pair flies over the banister and Peasley jumps off the back of the winged bean. As he descends, he quickly grabs Waluigi causing the purple clad man to lose grip on the flying bean and fall down to the floor with him. "Oww you are nuts bean brain; do you know that," Waluigi grunts in pain and irritation.

"No time for that now," Chizer scolds. "Get up and get inside before someone sees us!"

The two fallen men look up to see the chibibo standing by a door hidden in the side of the stairwell. They scramble to their feet and duck inside; Chizer shuts the door behind them. At the end of the hall, floats the two para-beetles that were chasing after the pair of suitors. The para-beetles nod at each other as they share the same idea and head for the throne room.

After dodging the rapid fire of thunderbolts, Luigi runs up the island with the trees and turns to his cunning counterpart. "All that access to memories and that's all you go." Luigi pants trying to show confidence, but is getting worried about what Mr. L would pull off next.

"Ha ha ha, don't put on a face for me Luigi. I know all your tricks there is no use in hiding from me. Just admit it, you are outmatched and outwitted because there is no way you are beating me," Mr. L informs with a smirk.

"I am starting to thin there is no way you are my doppelganger cause all you do is talk, talk, talk! For the one with the supposed 'upper hand' you are doing a lot of stalling," the younger Mario Brother jabs hoping to make his counterpart angry.

"What you call stalling, I call finesse," Mr. L retorts; "but have it your way. Have at you!" He fires a quick bolt off at Luigi, knocking the plumber off his feet and tumbling down the other side of the island.

_Me and my big mouth_, Luigi mentally scorns as he lands in the shallow water. Suddenly Mr. L lands right in front of Luigi with his back to him. The plumber takes advantage and lunges for the black clad man's ankles and pulls his feet from under him, sending the doppelganger face first into the water. Luigi quickly tackles Mr. L and wraps him in a headlock; pulling his upper body out of the silver liquid. "What do you have to say about your finesse now," the younger Mario Brother quips.

"Well played Junior, but you haven't won the battle yet," Mr. L gasps as he struggles against Luigi's grip. He stops tugging at the Mario Brother's arms and jabs his left elbow back into Luigi's ribs. The plumber huffs in pain, loosening his grip on the ex-Bleck minion. Mr. L capitalizes on the opportunity by breaking out of the green clad man's grip then running around and shoving Luigi to the ground.

Mr. L then jumps onto Luigi and grabs him by the throat. "See how the tide turns so quickly," the cunning clone brags. "Didn't think I would remember those broken ribs that you got from kart racing on Choco Mountain did you? I told you; you are outmatched! I know all your physical weaknesses: including that pesky knee from soccer that flares up making you stiff and your sensitive stomach!" He sharply jabs his right knee into Luigi's stomach causing him to wince in pain. "This is the end dear warden," Mr. L squeezes the younger Mario Brother's throat tightly; "and don't worry I'll tell Mario what happened to you. Let him know how you were too weak to fend me off. I will even throw in a bonus; I'll take care of your little princess for you. What was her name? Daisy? Yes, that's it. Ah yeah, I got to say you can pick 'em," Mr. L smiles; "she is beautiful and spunky. Just the type of woman I like, so don't worry I'll make sure she doesn't get too lonely at night."

Luigi's eyes narrow furiously shooting daggers at his dark counterpart. Quickly he releases his fighting grip on Mr. L's arm and snaps his fist back then drives it straight up, punching the doppelganger in the mouth causing his head to whip back and lose his advantage. The plumber shoves the ex-minion off of him then jumps to his feet and faces his laid out enemy. "You will not touch her understand," Luigi warns with burning animosity.

"Are you kidding me," Mr. L exclaims in disbelief. "I know you had a thing for her, but are you seriously getting all worked up over a woman who barely notices you?"

"Shut up! You don't know what you are talking about!"

"She is playing you, you idiot! Number one: she is a wealthy, gorgeous princess who can whomever she wants. Number two: you are a plumber, a lowly plumber; not a prince or knight, or any sort of royalty. Number three: you are the second fiddle Mario Brother; who want the second fiddle when they can get the first? Number four: her father hates you! There is no way that you are good enough for her or be able to get her," Mr. L criticizes.

"I told you to shut up," Luigi screams as he throws and lands a roundhouse on Mr. L's face. "You know nothing!" The plumber jabs the ex-minion in the stomach then grabs his shoulders and knees him in the stomach once more. Finally Luigi throws Mr. L back onto the shore of the tree island.

The black clad man lands face first into the sand, the grains scraping his face like tiny knives as he skids across a few inches of beach. "You will regret that whelp," Mr. L snarls. He pushes himself to his feet and with a running start, leaps into the air and stomps on Luigi's head, like Mario would a goomba. The plumber falls back from the impact, but does not stay down long; he rockets back to his feet and throws an uppercut landing on Mr. L's jaw. The dark doppelganger stumbles back, holding his chin and growls in vexation; he counters with an elbow to the diaphragm which causes the younger Mario Brother to wheeze as the air is literally knocked out of his lungs. Mr. L continues his assault with an uppercut of his own, sending the green clad man stepping back and bleeding from the mouth. "Not so tough now are ya Junior!" The ex-Bleck minion goes for a roundhouse to the face, but Luigi ducks out of the way and pushes Mr. L back with a quick shoulder charge to the stomach.

"I am a lot tougher than you think," Luigi quips.

"Is that so? We'll see about that," Mr. L proclaims as he rebounds back and tackle Luigi down once more. The two combatants tumble a couple of feet and suddenly sink as the Nigatta's bottom drops off.

The plumber shakes off his adversary and swims to the surface gasping for much needed air. He is not alone for long as the ex-Bleck minion follows suit. Mr. L takes a deep breath and quickly slips back under the silvery surface, making Luigi nervous. The younger Mario Brother starts to swim back toward the tree island when the black clad doppelganger grabs his leg and drags him under. Luigi panics and flails his arms trying to swim back up to the surface, but to no avail. Mr. L smirks as he sees the plumber flailing to escape his grip. Luigi's lungs begin to burn, pleading for sweet, cooling oxygen as his muscles begin to tire from the anaerobic struggling. The fear of drowning begins to seep into his conscious as flashbacks of the prince drowning him come to mind. He turns his attention downward to the weight holding him down, Mr. L. _I got to make him let go or I am going to drown, again!_ The younger Mario Brother bends over and swings his arm back then pushes forward as fast as he could against the resistance of the water. The punch lands right on Mr. L's nose which causes the clone to let go of Luigi's legs so he could tend to his sore nose. Luigi shoots up to the surface and deeply inhales, taking in the sweet oxygen his body needs. _I got to get moving or he'll take me under again,_ Luigi urgently notes to himself in order to motivate himself to swim despite feeling exhausted; he swims as fast as possible away from his darker counterpart.

Mr. L breaks the water's surface and huffs in frustration as he see Luigi retreating. "Get back here and face me like a man coward," the irate doppelganger calls out to the plumber. "There is no escaping my vengeance warden! The Green Thunder will reign once more," he proclaims as he swims after the younger Mario Brother.

The island with the fountain comes into sight and Luigi continues to swim as fast as possible although his muscles begin to severely ache. He hits the shallow water of the beach then trudges up to the fountain and leans upon it, feeling like he is going to collapse. _I have to end this now; I can't last much longer. If I don't stop him, not only will he kill me, but he'll probably go after Mario next! He might even try his hand at taking over the Mushroom Kingdom! No, I can't let him get anywhere close to my brother or Peach or Daisy._ He straightens up and looks back to the water where Mr. L is quickly honing in on his positions. _How am I going to take down the 'Green Thunder' when I am running out of energy,_ the younger Mario Brother ponders anxiously as he looks at the fountain. The solution hits him and he turns to face Mr. L once more.

The doppelganger reaches the shallow water and stands to find his longtime warden facing him. "Finally found the guts to fight me Junior? Looks like this is going to be your final stand," Mr. L predicts with a grin. "Pretty fitting for your last breath, any last words?"

"I think you are mistaken, this is where you are going down," Luigi replies calmly.

"Is that so? And how do you figure that," Mr. L chuckles.

"Well you are a good fighter, but for being the 'Green Thunder' you suck at throwing lightning bolts," Luigi jabs. "You hit me once with the fifty shots you took; that's pretty bad."

"I have not had the chance to partake in target practice considering I was trapped in that wasteland of a mind of yours," Mr. L retorts. "Of course if you are volunteering," the black clad clone sticks his hands out like two pistols, "then I will practice on you!" He fires rapidly at Luigi's head and chest, but the plumber diligently dodges each bolt.

"Is that all you got," Luigi taunts; "I could do better blindfolded with one arm behind my back!"

Mr. L growls angrily and fires faster. The plumber is barely able to keep up, but still seems a step ahead which frustrates the ex-Bleck minion. A smirk grows on his face as he figures out how to stop the evasive plumber. He continues to fire bolts at Luigi's head and torso then quickly moves his left hand and fires at the Mario Brother's knee. The deviant bolt strikes its target causing Luigi to collapse on the beach. Mr. L brings his left hand up to his face and blows on his outstretched index finger like he is blowing off steam from a hot gun barrel. "How is that for the Green Thunder?"

"Ugh, you took a cheap shot," Luigi growls.

"There is no such thing as a cheap shot Junior, just a winning shot. Now this is where we say good-bye," Mr. L notes then starts to create a green orb of electricity in his hands. The orb grows quickly and after much concentration, reaches the size of a basketball. "Good-bye my dear warden, you will not be missed. Have at you!" Mr. L launches the green orb of electricity at Luigi furiously.

Luigi quickly jumps reveal the overflowing fountain. The crackling orb barely misses his legs as he jumps to a dry patch of beach and it smashes into the fountain. The electricity's charge does not dissipate against the fountain but instead the silver water conducts the electric charge. From the pooled water of the fountain the shock travels through the streaming overflow, down the beach, into the lake of the Nigatta, and into the closest ground it can find, Mr. L. The electricity flows through his body causing him to violently shake as if having a seizure. As the electricity dissipates, Mr. L stops shuddering then collapses into the shallow water and into unconsciousness.

Luigi lets out a sigh of relief, "Phew I did it! Now to get out of here," he turns to head for the door, but stops and looks back to the unconscious Mr. L. "I am going to regret this, but I can't just leave him in the water like that to drown," the plumber confesses aloud. He walks over and drags Mr. L up onto the beach's shore then heads for the door.

Mario tumbles backward across the room as Bowser's charge hits home. He quickly hops to his feet and charges back toward his archenemy, but has to deviate left as Bowser releases a spray of flames in his direction. He avoids the flames and dives underneath the giant koopa, confusing the Koopa King, then grabs his tail.

"Argh," Bowser exclaims as the tug on his tail causes him to fall flat on his face. "Not again!"

Mario begins to spin, lifting Bowser off the floor and releases him; sending him crashing through the wall into the hallway of the east wing stairs. "Grrr, I am going to stomp that plumber into dust for that," the Koopa King growls as he stands up and dusts himself off.

Suddenly two buzzy beetles fly over to him. "King Bowser! King Bowser! We have some important information for you," one of the beetles reports.

"Not now, I need to concentrate," Bowser brushes them off and stomps back into the throne room. "Lucky hit plumber, enjoy it now because you will not get another!" The Darkland ruler charges the plumber once more. Mario dodges to the side and Bowser quickly spins knocking the plumber down with his tail. "Ha ha ha," the tyrant gloats as he punts the fallen hero like a football across the room

Mario slams into the wall and thuds to the floor. "Oh my back," the red clad plumber groans. "Can't let him get me that easily," Mario notes, encouraging himself to get back up. The Mushroom Kingdom hero runs and jumps to stomp on Bowser's head, but the Koopa King catches the plumber by the leg in the air and slams him to the ground sending a wave of pain throughout his body. _What's going on? Is he taking steroids or something? Lizard lips is never this on top of it!_ Mario questions as he slowly tries to push himself up.

"What's the matter Mario? Have you gotten out of shape having all your stupid parties and sporting events," Bowser teases as he pushes the plumber down with his foot.

"Never too out of shape to handle you lizard breath," Mario retorts as he pushes up, making Bowser become unbalanced, the he flips over onto his back and kicks the Darkland tyrant in the lower stomach.

Bowser stumbles back, regains balance, then crumples up, holding his stomach. "Damn plumber! Just can't make it easy can you?"

Mario does not answer; he charges over to his enemy and punches the Darkland ruler in the snout. As the giant Koopa's head bobbles back, Mario jumps up and delivers a two-footed kick to the snout once more then he jumps up again and stomps on Bowser's head causing the koopa to cry out in pain.

"Stop it!" The Koopa King thrashes his head around causing Mario to retreat for a minute before heading back in, to giver King Bowser a good thrashing. The Darkland King is prepared; however, as he unleashes another spray of flames toward the advancing plumber.

Mario dodges and runs in to punch Bowser in the side, but the Koopa King backhands him and sends him flying. The plumber skids across the floor on his side. _Agh, I though I had the element of surprise there, guess not,_ Mario observes as he rubs his side. He grits his teeth and hops back onto his feet to face Bowser again despite being batted away so many times.


	27. Chance Discoveries

**Last chapter of a three chapter upload :D**

**Chapter 27: Chance Discoveries**

Meanwhile in the hallway, the two buzzy beetles fly further past the east wing looking for anyone in command to tell what they have seen. As they approach the west staircase they find Bowser Jr. with some troops fighting off the castle guards. They fly over to Jr. as he blows away five guards with his trusty magic paintbrush stolen from E. Gadd. "Bowser Jr.! Bowser Jr. sir," one of the buzzy beetles cries out.

"Yeah what do ya want," the Darkland prince asks annoyed.

"We know where the King and princesses are hiding," the second beetle quickly replies.

"All right! Show me," Bowser Jr. demands then follows the winged beetles to the other staircase.

"Its right here, but the door is flushed with the wall," the first buzzy beetle notes.

"I'll find it," the small koopaling prince declares confidently as he begins to feel the wall. After a couple minutes of searching, Bowser Jr. begins to lose his patience, "Where is it? Stupid door!" In frustration, the Darkland prince slams his fist against the side of the staircase and suddenly the door swings open from its hiding place. "Yeah! I told you I would find it," the young koopa gloats. "Now go get twenty soldiers so we can take our hostages!" The buzzy beetles swiftly fly off to gather the necessary troops while Junior waits excitedly and impatiently by the secret passage's door.

"How long do you think we'll have to stay down here," Prince Cashmire asks anxiously. "We've never been invaded before, so this is a first for me."

"Well this could last anywhere from three to forty-eight hours," Thorne replies knowingly. "We suffer invasion attempts at least twice every five to ten years; however, it has been more frequent these past couple of years."

"Seriously? That's insane! No one invades the Tarpon Kingdom; no one," Cashmire exclaims shocked.

"Well every kingdom is different. I believe we get invaded because of our location and size," Thorne postulates. A loud banging on the door jars the king and company from their conversation.

"King Thorne open this door! We know you all are hiding in there with my mama so come out or we'll bust the door down!"

"How did they find us," Pine asks frightened as he holds onto Toffee's arm and shakes off memories of being kidnapped by the koopalings and being held prisoner in a morphed, darker version of Jewelry Land.

"Oh dear, I hope that door holds; we can't let hem get the princesses," Toadsworth warns anxiously.

"That door is made out of solid steel, there is no way they will break through," Chizer guarantees. A loud series of bangs ensue after he finishes his sentence and a large hole appears in the door. "Maybe they can," Chizer gulps as he watches the door gradually get blown apart. "I knew we should have invested in the steel-titanium alloy door!"

"Mama!" Bowser Jr. ecstatically exclaims as he rushes in after the Darkland troops knock down the rest of the door. "Yeah! Now we all can go watch Dad beat up that nasty Mario once and for all!"

"There is no way that butt ugly Bowser is going to beat Mario, he hasn't in the past and he won't today," Daisy growls at the small koopa.

"Hey who is this mouthy woman," Junior asks vexed at being talked back to. "Oh yeah, you're that princess that hit me in the nose! You're the mean one," he pouts. "Well you're not as pretty as Mama, but maybe Dad will let me keep you as my nanny," Bowser Jr. grins.

"I am nobody's nanny you little twerp," Daisy fumes and wavers her fist threateningly at the Darkland prince.

"Hee hee hee, now bound their hands together and chain them together by the waist, but keep the girls and the king separate. I want to show Dad myself," Bowser Jr. commands. The mish mashed group of troopa koopas, goombas, and hammer heads do as they are told and tie the hostages up. The troops then follow their prince to the throne room, dragging their prisoners behind them.

After leaving the 'Creation Room', Luigi wonders further down the hall to a honey oak door with the relief image of a water drop upon it. _A fountain and now a water drop, I would never have thought the mirror people would have such admiration for water, but I guess I can see why now,_ Luigi contemplates for a minute before stepping inside. He is greeted by bright light which takes his eyes a minute to adjust to. After his pupils dilate, he can make out the walls, more of the clouded sunshine that he has seen before. The opposite wall is what takes Luigi by surprise as it is a wall of water. He cautiously steps closer to examine it and with a shaky hand touches the water. The plumber breathes a sigh of relief when nothing happens; no shock or pain just the normal cooling sensation. He watches the small amount of clear water trickle down his glove before being absorbed into the cotton cloth. The younger Mario Brother then notices the feeling of a light thudding on his chest, like the sound waves of a loud movie going through the body, but it quickly fades away. Luigi scratches his head in confusion then looks back to the water wall. _Hmm I wonder,_ the plumber ponders as he reaches his hand out again. This time; however, he engulfs his hand in the mysterious wall and the thumping returns, but more violently than before. He feels like he is being wailed on the chest by a hammer. Quickly, he pulls his hand out and the wailing stops then he looks down at his chest and spots his overhaul pocket. He reaches inside and pulls out the white wooden ring from Daisy's necklace. "Oh yeah, I had forgotten that was in there," Luigi notes aloud to no one, but the walls around him. _Was this little thing causing all the vibration in my chest?_ He looks from the ring, to the water wall, and back to the ring. "I hope this does something...preferably not something harmful," the younger Mario Brother hopes optimistically as he slides the ring on the tip of his pinky finger and engulfs his hand in the wall once more. The thudding is no longer violent, now all Luigi feels is a slight vibration in his hand. The difference that catches the plumber's eye is the water wall itself no longer reflects the other walls, but now flashes various images that have no correlation and make no sense. The wall flashes images of crystal blue skies and gray cloudy skies, which confuses Luigi then another image flashes, Princess Peach's castle. "Hey that's the castle, but wait," Luigi mummers as he looks closer he notices the bridge leading to the castle in the right hand corner, but it looks different. He has to stare at it for a bit before he realizes, "That's the bottom of the bridge, but how can that be? The castle looks normal so why is the bridge upside down. Wait, these images, they are reflections! Reflections from bodies of water! That's why I kept seeing the sky' what does it mean though," Luigi scratches his chin with his free hand. "I wonder can I look I through any reflection?" The plumber takes a breath, closes his eyes, and picture the star fountain in Peach's courtyard, where he, Mario, Peach, and Daisy had the picnic. He opens his eyes and to his delight the star statue's reflection takes up the whole wall. "Wow this is amazing! It is like nature's mirror, all the different bodies of water make it up and you can see anything it sees. If that's the case, I wonder what's going on in Sarsaraland," Luigi wonders aloud then pictures the small pond by the weeping willow in the courtyard. When he opens his eyes, his mouth drops down in horror as he spots Bowser's aerial flagship in the top corner of the pond. "Oh no Bowser's attacking again and no one's there to stop him! I got to get out of here, but how? I can't believe I left them stranded with no help. I really do suck at this hero stuff," Luigi sighs depressed, overwhelmed with a feeling of failure. A jolt from his pinky snaps him out of his depression as the image on the wall changes from the weeping willow and Bowser's ship to the underside of a kitchen faucet and the ceiling of a house. "Huh what the?" Then garbled noise fills the room. The plumber tries to quiet his breathing, closes his eyes, and listens; trying to figure out what he is hearing. _Its a voice,_ he concludes then the noise changes slightly, in pitch and tone. _Another voice?_ The green clad man looks back up to the screen to see a pair of fair hands emerging a rag into the water and disrupting the image with their movement. The rag and hands ten pull out and the water calms when a face appears. Luigi squints trying to recognize the face, which proves difficult with the dripping water from the rag being held overhead. Its a fair colored face with an aura of blued surrounding it. _Blue, I've seen that color blue before, in a hat...a hat! A hat! That's Hyacinth!_ Luigi gasps in excitement as he recognizes the woman. "Hyacinth! Hyacinth can you hear me," he yells at the top of his lungs. "Hyacinth!"

The elderly queen stops for a moment, "I swear someone is calling my name. I must be hallucinating or something," she shakes it off as she wring out the rag and runs to head to the living room.

"Hyacinth are you okay," Madeline asks as she walks into the kitchen equipped with her new shell.

"Yeah I am all right, just overheating I believe," the Floral royal replies as she pats her face down with the damp cloth. "I swear I keep hearing someone calling my name, you did not holler for me while you were changing did you?"

"No I didn't," Madeline answers concerned. "Maybe all that excitement has taken it out of you. We should probably sit down and rest. I doubt any of those Darkland dummies will be stupid enough to attack this place again."

"Probably not, they are probably all en route to the castle," Hyacinth sighs, worried about her family.

"Hyacinth there is nothing you can do. The best course of action is to stay safe and lay low," Madeline reminds again. "I know you are worried, but your son has brought this kingdom back from much more dire situations than this. he is a tough cookie, like his mother," the nobokon comforts her friend.

"I know he is. he is my Thorne, nothing will bring him down, but I cannot help, but worry," Hyacinth confesses anxiously. A moment of silence falls between the two women when a faint voice calling the queen's name breaks the silence causing their heads to perk up. "Did you hear that too," Hyacinth asks urgently.

"Yeah, but where is it coming from," Madeline asks befuddled and the two elderly women slowly walk around the kitchen straining to hear the voice and pinpoint the source of it.

"Hyacinth! Hyacinth down here in the sink," Luigi continues to call, but stops as he hears voices of his own.

"Hey who's in there," a patrolling guard demands as he jiggles the door to find it locked. "Open this door! Only authorized personnel are allowed in there! Call the King," the hourglass minion rattles off quickly as he continues to pull at the door.

"It stopped," Madeline notes and looks at her friend.

"It was loudest over here at the sink," Hyacinth informs. The two friends crane their heads close to the sink and peer into the small pool held within.

"I don't hear anything now," Madeline observes.

"Hyacinth! Madeline! Help! They're barging in! Get me out of here," Luigi pleads.

"Whoa! Heard that one," the blue shelled nobokon exclaims.

"I recognize the voice, but have no clue who it is. It is hard to tell when it is muffled under the water like that," Hyacinth notes.

"Who dares enter the King's Wishing Well without my permission," Galibrath bellows as he too begins to pound on the door. "Come out peasant and face the consequences of your actions!"

"No one's here, come back later," Luigi blurts nervously as he hears the prince's voice.

"What? That voice! It can't be," the prince exclaims shocked. "Plumber I don't know how you survived, but open this door now! Let me finish you off properly this time!" The pounding on the door grows in intensity so much that the hinges start to squeal in protest.

_The door is going to break away at any second. Oh crap, crap, crap!_ The younger Mario Brother looks back up to the screen, "Pull me out! Pull me out!"

"Pull out? What does that mean," Madeline scratches her head. "How and who are we pulling out? I don't see anything, but the steel bottom of my sink!"

"I don't know, but they sound desperate. Maybe if we just put our hands in," Hyacinth suggests then engulfs her hand into the shallow pool of water in the sink.

With a swift kick the door flies open, five guards and an angry Prince Galibrath enters the room. "You! Get him," The flaking prince orders. The five hourglass minions rush toward Luigi.

Panic stricken, Luigi thrusts his entire arm into the wall and waves it around, trying to feel for any hopes of escape. The ring on his pinky vibrates violently and sends shockwaves up his arm as he plunges it in further, engulfing his shoulder into the wall. Desperately he waves his arm around and to his relief a hand grabs onto his and pulls. His body emerges into the wall except his foot which is grabbed by one of the guards.

"Don't let his escape! He has the key," Galibrath exclaims fretfully as he realizes that the green clad man, he thought he killed, possesses the wood ring crafted by the wood craver many eons ago otherwise the plumber would not be able to enter into the wall at all.

Luigi kicks at the guards trying to fend them off and reaches out with his other hand to grab onto the outreached hand and gain a more secure grip. As he does so, the violent vibrations and shock get stronger; almost to the point where he feels the need to let go. He fights the urge as he knows going back could only mean certain death.

"Pull Madeline pull," Hyacinth orders through gritted teeth.

"I'm pulling; I'm pulling! I'm not as strong as I used to be you know," Madeline replies panting.

The air in Luigi's lungs are gone, causing a too familiar burning sensation. _Its now or never!_ The plumber looks over his should to his legs and spots the guards losing their grip. With all of his leftover strength, he bashes his free foot against the restricting hands and is able to knock off two out of three. the last guard digs his claws in sending sharp pains up Luigi's leg, but nevertheless the plumber kicks his leg wildly despite the pain.

"Don't you dare let go or I will have your had on a platter," Galibrath screeches at the remaining guard as he approaches the wall and dives his arms in to assist. He quickly draws his arms back as electricity snaps at him from the wall. "What is the meaning of this," the maroon clad prince spouts off vexed and confused as he normally can access the wall, but is denied now.

"Sir I am losing grip," the last guard informs.

"Noo!" The prince exclaims, but is too late as the minion falls back and the plumber disappears into the wall of water.

The two women fall backward onto the tile floor and look at each other. "What was that about," Madeline asks as she holds her head.

"I don't know," Hyacinth replies then looks back to the sink. "Ahhh! What in the world? How did you?"

Madeline follows the former queen's line of sight to find the green clad Mario Brother standing in her sink. "Holy smokes!"

"Hi ladies," Luigi greets then coughs out some water from his lungs. "Thanks for pulling me out; if it wasn't for you guys I would be a goner."

"I don't believe it, we pulled a plumber out of my sink! Too bad I can't pull out other good looking men from my sink like that," Madeline jokes.

"How did you get stuck in the sink," Hyacinth asks confused.

"I will explain later I promise, but right now I got to get going," Luigi informs briskly. "I got to get to the castle pronto. Which way is it?"

"Turn left out the door and look up, you can't miss it," Madeline answers.

"Thanks," the younger Mario Brother thanks and with that, rushes out the door toward the castle.


	28. Best Laid Plans

**Wow been way way too long. However, bright side all I have the story written all the way to the end! Yea! :D I just have to type it all out :( Boo...keep holding on guys the end is on the way!**

**Disclaimer: 28 chapters later I still say it...Mario Characters = not mine.**

**Chapter 28: Best Laid Plans**

The air escapes his lungs unwillingly once more as he smashes against the wall, again. His legs ache, back screams in pain from repeated rough meeting with the wall, and his ego bruised from being unable to obtain the upper hand and hold onto it. He glares up at his enemy, who is roaring in victory, taunting him. _Must get up, can't give into the pain,_ Mario unwaveringly demands of himself as he drags his sore body to its feet.

"Why don't you just stay down plumber? There is no use in getting up. You're not going to win," Bowser scoffs confidently.

"Dad! Dad! I have a surprise for you," Jr. calls as he escorts the bound princesses and king into the throne room.

"Junior what is it," asks concerned. His worry turns into a proud grin as the Darkland ruler spots the captives. "That's my boy! There is no stopping us now," Bowser declares triumphantly then turns back to the battered Mushroom Kingdom hero. "Do you see that Mario? I have the princesses, the king, and this castle all under my control. What are you going to do about that? Save them, ha not going to happen," Bowser taunts.

Mario grits his teeth, and despite the pain, charges the large Koopa. He lands a punch on the koopa's ribbed stomach and throws another at the Darkland monarch's head. Bowser crumples from the pain inflicted by the punch in the gut, but dodges the head shot and growls in frustration. As the plumber tries to land another punch, the Darkland King slams his head down onto the plumber's. Mario staggers back in pain, giving Bowser the space to backhand the hero once more. The red clad man flies back, hits the wall, and crumples onto the floor again.

Bowser chuckles as he watches the plumber struggle to get up once more. "There will be no saving them this time plumber. You can't do it," the large Koopa informs with a smirk as he walks over to the fallen hero. "You've already failed your brother and now you will fail them too," Bowser hisses.

"I did not fail him and I will not fail them," Mario screams as he thrashes at the imposing Darkland ruler.

Bowser avoids Mario's swipes and pins the plumber down with his foot pressing down on the hero's stomach. "Yes you did. I saw it all," the tyrant informs with a satisfied grin. "The prince came to me after he had failed in opening the portals and I watched what he did to your brother," the large Koopa gloats.

"You were in cahoots with Galibrath," Daisy exclaims enraged. "You Bastard!"

"That's right," Bowser answers while continuing to focus on his enemy. "He was going to open all of the mirror portals for my use; all I had to do was give him the main portal and the key."

"The Reflectivus Portal! You were the one who stole it! We should have known that you were behind it! You scoundrel," Toadsworth exclaims.

"Yes we had it all planned, but your stupid brother had to get in the way," the Koopa King complains.

"Like he should, he was taught well," Mario interjects proudly causing Bowser to snort in contempt. The Koopa King removes his foot and grabs the plumber, lifting him into the air. Bowser then turns around and slams his adversary down to the ground. Mario groans in pain as his back is assaulted once more.

"It is that teaching that did him in," Bowser notes with condescension. "I told Galibrath to make him pay and oh did he," the tyrant evilly smirks. "It started with fists then whips then electrocution," Bowser informs with an air of smugness as he watches the older brother shudder with each word. "Finally Galibrath went turned to simpler and more barbaric tactics, he drew his sword," the Darkland ruler grins maliciously as Mario's eyes widened in fear. "First he cut off his left ear then his right middle finger and his right big toe," Bowser chortles as his tale causes visible pain to his archenemy and then he looks up to the captives who also react. The princesses have tears welling up as Thorne and all of the men cringe at the thought. The Koopa King continues with his yarn, "Galibrath then slashed him on both cheeks and allowed him to bleed a little as soon as he become bored with that he turned serious." He takes pause for effect then continues, "He plunged the sword into your brother's lower back, stabbing the kidneys. Bwa ha ha, I have never heard your little brother scream so loud before," Bowser adds with a smirk. "Finally the prince got bored and went for the kill; he raised his sword and pointed it at the heart, and slowly pushed it in. The blood seeped out from his chest and mouth rapidly making a pool on the floor. Do you know what his last words were, your brother's," the Darkland ruler asks his downtrodden, broken enemy. "Luigi's last words were, 'Mario...where are you to save me?'" Bowser's smirk grows even wider as Mario breaks into tears.

"NO! NO! You're lying, you sick son of a bitch," Mario wails.

"Why would I lie about the best execution I have seen in years? Especially an execution of one of my enemies that I enjoyed in seeing so much," the Koop King gloats.

"No, Bro I'm sorry," Mario softly sobs uncontrollably. "I should have been there to stop it. Forgive me Luigi, forgive me for failing you."

Bowser lowers his head with a malicious smile. "You can tell him that yourself, when you join him!" The Darkland tyrant bites down onto his wailing enemy and picks him up. He thrashes his head as he sinks his teeth deeper into Mario's body then he slams the plumber to the ground again. Blood begins to ooze from the puncture marks as Bowser looms over Mario's battered body. "You have failed Mario and now this is the end!" The Koopa King kicks the fallen plumber over in front of the captive princes and princesses.

Mario forces his eyes open and finds the princesses standing over him. "I'm sorry Peach, Daisy; I have failed."

"Come on Mario, you can do it! Get up! You haven't failed, you just need to get up," Daisy cries trying to motivate Mario to move.

"Please Mario, don't give in. Mario you can never fail us," Peach encourages through the tears. "I love you Sweetie."

"I love you too Peach," Mario softly replies with a smile despite the pain.

"That's right say your good-byes now," Bowser Jr. taunts. "My dad is coming to finish you off."

Peach looks up to see Bowser slowly walking closer, savoring the moment he has dreamt of for years now. "Mario, Sweetie, please get up. He's getting closer," Peach cries fretfully. "Please get up, please!"

Bowser stops two feet away from the broken hero and roars triumphantly as he prepares for his final strike. "Finally victory is mine! So long damn plumber and good riddance!" The Darkland King rears his head back with open jaws ready to bite down on his enemy once more when the throne room doors fling open. Bowser whips his head around to see who it interrupting his victory and his eyes widen in disbelief.

"Get away from my brother," Luigi orders sternly despite his panting.

"There is no fucking way," the Koopa growls angrily. "Why can't you Mario Brother just die and stay dead!" Bowser releases a spray of fire toward the green clad Mario Brother.

Luigi dodges right over to the pile of rubble created by Bowser's entrance. He picks one of the smaller chunks of stone and chucks it at the koopa, hitting him on the side of the head. "Come on, come get me King Bowsie," Luigi taunts, taking a line from Mario's book.

"Don't call me that," Bowser roars as he charges the younger Mario Brother. As the Darkland ruler closes in, the plumber jumps up and Bowser smashes into the wall face first. Luigi lands on the tyrant's head and jumps forward, barely missing the spikes on Bowser's shell, and lands in front of the tyrant's tail.

_Phew, good think I can jump really high. I don't think Mario would have cleared that,_ Luigi thinks as he grabs onto Bowser's tail preparing to spin and throw the Koopa King; but unable to muster the strength to get the Koopa off the ground. Bowser thrashes his tail back and forth, throwing Luigi around like a rag doll before he loses grip and skids across the room. _I may be agile, Mario is definitely stronger. I'm sure he could have swung that gargantuan turtle around easily. Time for a different tactic,_ Luigi thinks as he dust off.

"I put your brother down and I will put your ass down too," Bowser growls as he unleashes a large stream of fire causing Luigi to scramble behind the throne to avoid being burned. "We're going to hide now huh? At least your brother can face me like a man and not cower behind scenery!"

"I'm not hiding. I just think its time to fight fire with fire," Luigi retorts as he pulls out a fire flower that he picked up from the abandoned item shop on the way to the castle. _Note to self: play the guy for fire flower later, but now fire a koopa!_ He rolls out from behind the throne now donning green suspenders and a white shirt and cap.

"Oh shit," Bowser pants.

The younger brother rapidly fires green fireballs at the Darkland ruler which mostly land on target due to his size and lack of speed. "You won't win that easily!" Bowser pulls himself into shell, his eyes peering out are the only things visible through the dark hole. "Now what smart ass? What are you going to do?"

The green clad Mario Brother steps closer to the shell hidden koopa and begins to charge a fireball in-between his hands. As it grows to the size of a beach ball, Luigi crouches down and lines his hands up with the opening in King Koopa's shell, aiming for the hole. He releases the fireball and watches as it travels straight forward, not drooping down as gravity does not affect green fire in the Mushroom Kingdom as it does red fire, into the shell's opening. "Hole in one."

Bowser screams in agony as the fire explodes in his face. He emerges from his shell and quickly cries through blistered lips. "Retreat! Retreat!" The Koopa King, his son, and the troops evacuate with thunderous roar of stampeding feet.

As soon as Bowser disappears, Luigi runs over to the captive royals and carefully singes their bonds apart then turns his attention to his brother. His eyes well up with tears as he sees the numerous cuts, burns and puncture wounds Mario has sustained. "Mario? Mario can you hear me," Luigi chokes out, fearing not getting an answer. he places his hand on Mario's chest, checking for a beat; to his relief he can feel a faint one then Mario stirs.

"Luigi is that you," Mario asks with a raspy voice. Luigi simply nods in response. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there. Please forgive me," Mario pleads.

"You have nothing to apologize for Bro," Luigi informs through the happy tears; "We're alive that's all that matters."

"We're not dead," Mario asks and Luigi shakes his head. "Well that's good, but I'm starting to wish I was," Mario groans causing his younger brother to smile.

"Get me the royal physician now," Throne commands at Chizier, who immediately hobbles away. Minutes later, a nobokon arrive to look at Mario.

"Sorry I am late, I have been assessing the troops. Oh my someone took a beating," the white shelled nobokon notes as he crouches down beside him. "On the plus side, the wounds look mostly superficial, but I won't know how deep those puncture marks until we get you to a medical facility. Unfortunately the one in town has been ravaged by Darkland troops, leaving the Mushroom Kingdom as the closest one with the best equipment. I'm sure he can last the trip if we keep him bandaged up," the doctor notes optimistically.

"I can Doc, let's go," Mario assures in his normal optimistic way. The doctor assists Mario to his feet then helps escort him outside with the help of Princess Peach.

Luigi begins to follow when a hand lands on his shoulder, holding him back. he turns to find daisy standing there. "Oh hi Daisy, I don't mean to be rude, but I need to go with my brother."

I know, I'm sorry to hold you up, but I wanted to thank you for saving me and the kingdom," Daisy smiles appreciatively.

"I really didn't do much; I mean, I just got lucky," he replies distracted.

"Lucky? What do you mean," the brunette princess asks confused.

"If I had done my job in the first place this wouldn't have happened. The castle wouldn't be a wreck and my brother wouldn't have gotten hurt. I had a responsibility and I blew it, like always," Luigi sighs defeated.

"Don't be silly Luigi, you did your job. The kingdom is still here and we are all alive and I'm sure when you come back everything will be fixed," Daisy assures.

"There will be no coming back," Luigi states. "Daisy you deserve someone who will always be there and be able to defend you and the kingdom no matter what. Someone brave, strong and smart; I'm not that guy, no matter how hard I try. Everyone was right from the beginning, I'm not good enough for you. I'm sorry, but I have to go," Luigi turns and dashes off to catch up with Princess Peach and Toadsworth.

"But...Luigi, I..." Daisy softly starts then breaks down into tears and runs up to the ruins of her room.


	29. Community Service

**Hey next chapter! Wahoo! Actually this was not in the original, editing along the way to make it more concise. Well anyway, enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: Yeppers, not my characters; they belong to Nintendo.**

**Chapter 29: Community Service**

Two weeks after the second Darkland Invasion most of the wreckage that spoiled the landscape of the diverse Sarsaraland Kingdom is all, but gone. The physical remnants are almost gone, but the emotional still remain. The King and his security advisors work continuously on solutions to prevent such catatrophe from happening again while others still cope with what has happened due to it; including the princess. The results of the event still plagues her mind as she tries to understand why it all went wrong. She sighs depressed as she finishes brushing her hair then heads downstairs to eat breakfast. As she steps away from the staircase, Chizier intercepts her, "Princess Daisy you have a call."

"Oh thanks," she replies gratefully as she takes the cordless phone from the chibibo. "Hello?"

"Hi Daisy!"

"Hi Peach, how are you," Daisy asks with a smile as she hears her friend's voice.

"We are all doing pretty well, since Mario has pretty much made a full recovery. The stress and worry is gone now that I know he is okay. We have even been able to go out and have fun, so life is much better now."

"Well that's great to hear; hold on a second," Daisy asks as she steps outside and heads to her garden. The flower beds are bare and the leaves are rapidly falling from the bloomless cherry blossom tree. The yellow clad princess settles in her usual spot underneath the tree. "Sorry about that, just needed to find a comfy, secluded spot."

"No problem, I understand. How are things going down there," Peach asks concerned.

"Doing pretty well since most of the damage is fixed now. Things are returning to normal," Daisy replies.

"That is good, but how are you doing," Peach asks emphasizing the word you.

"I am good," Daisy sighs, trying not to show too much emotion.

"Really," Peach replies sounding shocked; "I would have thought you would be in knots. I certainly would be."

"Why do you say that," the brunette princess questions innocently, but wondering what her friend is trying to get at. _Does she know something I don't?_

"Decision day is tomorrow isn't it," Peach asks confused. "I thought you had told me it was."

"Oh no, I completely forgot," the Sarsaraland princess exclaims in surprise. "Crap, Dad is going to want an answer and I don't want to give him one. I don't like any of these courtiers; well not like boyfriend like I don't," Daisy huffs.

"Is there anybody else maybe," the Mushroom princess asks leadingly.

Daisy sighs, _I thought she might be trying to steer the conversation this way._ "No Peach, there isn't contrary to what you have been told."

"Told? I haven't been told anything," Peach defends. "Nothing directly that is..."

"Well I'll tell you what happened; I got shot down after weeks of getting let on to believe there was something there! So you can tell your hubby's brother to stick it and stop telling lies to make you all feel sorry for him! It should be me you feel sorry for! He crushed me when he tossed me to the side then got up and left on the plane with you guys!"

"He dumped you," the blonde princess on the other line questions, befuddled.

"Yes! Said he wasn't good enough for me, that I deserved someone brave, courageous, and reliable which is not him apparently. We all know; however, that is a classic 'I am dumping you' line meaning that I am the problem," Daisy assumes then pauses. "Although he did say that everyone doubted him including my father and he sounded really depressed..."

"That explains it," Peach exclaims in new found clarity.

"Explains what," the desert princess asks snapping out of her thoughts.

"After Mario got out of the hospital, Luigi has refused to leave the house, no matter how hard Mario tries. He just mopes around the house and does chores all day. Mario has also heard him down in the basement at night, berating himself for giving up on what he worked so hard for. That's all Mario could make out though," Peach pauses. "I think he's talking about you."

"Pshh, he couldn't be," Daisy replies still holding onto her anger.

"Daisy come on we both know he likes you and it sounds like you might feel the same."

"Liked," Daisy corrects harshly.

"Likes," Peach interjects relentlessly. "He is not very good at hiding emotions; we both know that. He gets all nervous, shaky..."

"And blushes profusely," Daisy completes her friends statement with a dreamy air to her voice as she remembers their moment on her where she had kissed him.

"Uh huh that's what I thought," Peach gloats confidently. "You do like him, just as much as he likes you, but you are too stubborn to admit it."

"Me well," Daisy stammers then breathes in deeply. "I do; I care about him a lot. He was my best friend through my father's whole 'experiment' and he saved me from the mirror freak. We grew so close then he just completely shattered it; like he didn't care anymore."

"I don't think that the case Daisy," Peach offers, stating her opinion.

"Yeah well, thanks for calling and checking up on me, but I should get going. Dad's waiting for me," Daisy states trying to end the uncomfortable conversation.

"Oh okay, if you have to go," Peach reluctantly lets Daisy end the conversation. "You're welcome Daisy. Good luck and if you need to talk just give me a call."

"Will do," Daisy affirms.

"Hopefully I'll see you soon. Bye," Peach bids adieu before hanging up the phone.

The phone emits a loud dial tone before Daisy presses the talk button to quiet it. She then rocks herself up to her feet and heads back inside through the courtyard doors. She makes her way to the dining room and finds all of the suitors, her grandmother, and father enjoying breakfast.

"Good morning Dear," Thorne addresses her first.

"Good morning Dad," Daisy returns the salutation as she sits down next to him at the corner of the table.

"Who was that on the phone," he asks as he cuts off a chunk of pancake from his short stack.

"Peach, just checking up on the clean-up," Daisy informs before he could ask what she wanted.

"Ah I see, well what are your plans for today?"

"No plans," Daisy replies automatically, wishing she did have some.

"Well I was thinking that we all should go out and help the villagers finish with the repairs to the town square; to show that we do care, since we are practically finished with the castle."

"Sounds good," Daisy agrees as she cuts off a bit of pancake and eats it.

"Then after dinner, I think we should talk in the throne room," Thorne suggests with a serious tone which catches everyone's attention.

"I guess," Daisy sighs uncomfortably while staring down at her plate, feeling like everyone's eyes are on her.

"Good well, I expect to see everyone in the foyer in forty-five minutes with your working shoes and clothes on," King Floral announces in a chipper voice before he leaves the table.

Daisy glances up at the rest of the table to find them staring at her. Her grandmother looking worried for her while the princes look hopefully at her except Waluigi, who has an expectant smirk from ear to ear. The princess rolls her eyes and excuses herself to go upstairs and prepare for their long workday in the square.

The group gathers in the foyer in their working clothes. The princes still have somewhat nice clothes on, but are willing to sacrifise them for the work while Daisy dons a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt. Finally the King and Hyacinth appear and lead them to the square where Thorne quickly assigns tasks to everybody then turns to his daughter to assign her task. "Why don't you help Mr. Grovett?"

"Oh okay," she agrees then quickly makes her way over to the item shop. She knocks then cautiously opens the door to find a mess of broken glass and overturned furniture. "Mr. Grovett? Mr. Grovett, its me Princess Daisy, I'm here to help you clean up your shop," she calls out. _And it definitely needs it, _she thinks as she carefully walks around a large pile of broken glass from a display case. _It is really dark in here...where is he?_ She squints her eyes scanning the room when suddenly something large drops down from the ceiling and hangs in front of her, suspended in the air. "AAAHHHH," Daisy screams then she quickly retreats, walking backward which leads to her falling down onto the dusty and dirty floor.

"Its okay, its okay," the figure that dropped from the ceiling assures as it descends to the floor and steps toward the princess. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you, but as you see, navigating the floor is hazardous at the moment," Mr. Grovett apologizes as he extends one of his eight appendages to assist the princess.

"Sorry you just startled me since it was so dark," Daisy notes as she remembers that Mr. Grovett is a kumo and thus has the ability to use the ceiling as a floor. "Why is your shop so beat up anyway? It has been two weeks, why haven't you been able to clean it up?"

"I have been volunteering to work on houses that were damaged during the invasion, including my own. I put off cleaning the shop until the village houses were in, at least, livable condition again because without the villagers I don't have customers for my business. Now that they are safe and happy I can focus on getting my shop ready for their needs."

"Ah I guess that makes sense," the desert princess agrees then turns the conversation to business. "Well what should we do first?"

"Well, we need to turn over all of the tables back on their feet then sweep the floor to get rid of the shards of glass so we don't step on them and hurt ourselves. After that, I will remove the broken glass from the display cases while you wipe down the furniture then we will finally stock the shelves and all of the final little touches like organizing the cash drawer and the inventory books," Mr. Grovett plans out. "First however, we are going to need some muscle to move all of the furniture back to place." The kumo scuttles out of the door and borrows Prince Peasley from the king, who had the Bean Bean prince and Waluigi rebuilding the pulley for the town well.

"How may I help you sir," Peasley asks as he follows Mr. Grovett into the shop.

"The princess and I need to turn over and move some hefty furniture and would like some help," Mr. Grovett explains.

"Gladly," Peasley replies and helps the two move the furniture into place. After a half hour, the task is done and Peasley turns to leave. "I hope I have been of assistance."

"We couldn't have done it without out you, thank you," Mr. Grovett replies appreciatively.

"You are very welcome Mr. Grovett; it was my pleasure," he notes humbly then turns to Daisy. "Pleasure working with you Princess Daisy, hopefully we can work together again," Peasley wishes while pouring on the charm.

"Yeah maybe we can," Daisy replies blushing slightly then watches the Bean Bean prince leave.

"What a nice man," the kumo observes, "very personable and well mannered. I am sure he will make a great king."

"Yeah I'm sure he will," Daisy agrees biting her lower lip anxiously.

"Well let us continue, I'll get the broom, dustpan, and a trash bag for you." Mr. Grovett disappears into the back for a brief minute then brings out the cleaning tools and hands them to her. "Start near the main counter as I want to get that glass out as soon as possible.

"Alright," she consents then walks over to the main display case and throws the bag onto of the case as she bends down to examine the mess. _Wow this is a lot,_ she looks to the case to see the glass gone with the exception of a small fringe of glass along the case's edges. _Stupid, inconsiderate Darkland troops coming in and plundering the shop for themselves without considering the consequences. Well it is Bowser's army we are talking about it, its not like they are a civilized Kingdom like the Beanbean Kingdom._ Daisy stops for a minute, _Did I just think that? Why is the Beanbean Kingdom on my mind? Probably because of Peasley being so helpful. He is a nice guy and out of all of the suitors we actually have something in common. Plus he is courteous, approachable, and brave. Mr. Grovett is right, he would be a good king. He wouldn't be a bad choice._ She vigilantly sweeps up all the glass, careful not to hurt herself. _I mean it is a little odd that he is a beanish and I am not, but diversity is good right?_ She stands to grab her trash bag off the display case and finds a folded note lying underneath. _What is this?_ She picks up the top half of the note and coins, that were hidden between the folded halves, fall onto the floor. "Oh crap," the brunette princess exclaims then scrambles to find all of the dropped coins. After scavenging the money, she turns her attention back to the note and opens it to read it.

To the owner of this shop,

Please take this money as payment for the item that I took without your knowledge. I took a fire flower that I found hidden behind a toppled table. Enclosed you should find 15 coins, I believe that is five more than the normal rate, but consider it payment for your understanding.

Thank you for your help,

-Luigi

_Luigi? He left money for Mr. Grovett, but I am sure Mr. Grovett would have never noticed a missing fire flower; and even if he did notice, would have understood that it was needed to save the kingdom. That's so honest,_ Daisy smiles as she looks at the signature. _Oh what is wrong with me? I need to get back to work._ She shakes her head and goes back to work, but continually drifts back to her thoughts as she works.

The day flies by, far too fast for Daisy's taste; before she knows it, she is back from assisting in Mr. Grovett's item shop and in her garden hiding from her father. _I can't do this! I don't know what I want...I know what I don't want, but not what I want,_ her mind races, feeling the pressure starting to close in. _Should I pick what is good for the kingdom or good for me?_ The thoughts that swirled in her mind at the item shop return to her once more as she stares into the twilight and feels the autumn breeze hit her face. She breathes in that seasonal scent which relaxes her for a moment before she is startled by a voice.

"Daisy," Hyacinth calls out. "Are you back here?"

"Yes Grandma," the brunette princess replies, revealing her well-known hiding spot.

"Are you coming? You're suppose to meet your father in the throne room, remember?"

"Yeah," The princess chokes out in response, trying to fight back tears of frustration.

"Sweetie, what's wrong," Hyacinth asks concerned, as she opens her arms, offering her granddaughter a comforting hug.

"I am just so confused Grandma," the young princess cries. "I am not ready for this."

"Daisy dry these tears, you don't need them. You are a strong, stubborn woman, who stares down the frightening and unknown. You are your mother, your father, a Floral; and even if you are not sure what you want right now, you will. And when you figure it out, you'll stop at nothing to get it, but for now you need to talk to your father. Have a frank conversation, tell him the truth; that's all you can do, Hyacinth advises sternly, but affectionately as she strokes the back of Daisy's head. The elderly queen then pushes her granddaughter back to look her in the eye. "Now are you ready to talk to him or do you need me to stall?"

"No, I need to get it over with," Daisy states ready to bite the bullet.

"That's my girl," Hyacinth smiles as she pats he Sarsaraland princess in the arm then leads her to the throne room.

As the doors swing open to the throne room, Daisy takes a deep breath before stepping inside. She slowly walks up to her father, who is sitting upon his throne staring her down. "Father," Daisy curtsies.

"Daisy, Mother," The king nods in response to both of them. "Why so formal my Dear; we are not in front of company."

"Just trying to be respectful now because I have a feeling that this conversation is going to get ugly," Daisy informs bluntly.

"I see," Thorne sighs impatiently, "so you already know what I want to talk about."

"Yes and I do not have an answer for you," Daisy replies quickly.

"What? You've had two months now to decide," Thorne barks in disbelief.

"Hey its not an easy decision! You yelling at me is not helping," the princess shoots back.

"Thorne," Hyacinth warns in a motherly tone.

"Okay I apologize. I should have not yelled," the king admits, trying to be more understanding; "but it is just frustrating because I have provided all the information and time that I can for you."

"Yes you have, but I don't know how I should act upon the information that you have given me. I am struggling between two options and do not know which one to go with," Daisy explains.

"Well then you have at least made progress," Thorne observes. "If it would assist in your decision I would choose the option that best suits the kingdom as a whole."

"Dad, have you not listened to me for the past couple of weeks? I am not solely going to choose based upon what is best for everyone," Daisy retorts annoyed.

"I know you want to be happy as well, I am not saying ignore that factor; it is very important that you are comfortable and able to communicate with whomever you choose. You have to be able to get along with the person, I am just saying that the man best suited for the kingdom will bring you happiness as well. A man that can balance a kingdom and rule it as a king and not a tyrant is focused on not himself, but those around him and what is best for them. The happiness of his citizens, servants, and loved ones will be his priority which will make him a man easy to communicate with and be comfortable with," Thorne explains his logic.

"I guess, but I don't want someone who just wants to make me and everyone else happy. I want someone that I have a connection with, that spark that lets you know you both are on the same page. It's about being with someone who you fight with until you want to strangle each other, but at the end wanting nothing more than to forgive and forget and not care who won. Its about..." the brunette pauses and lowers her voice, "loving someone for who they are and getting that love back."

"Sounds like you are talking about more than just a beau," Thorne interjects. "This whole idea was to find someone you would be interested in and possibly become the next king, hence the princes. I have emphasized the need to find someone to be the future king and it sounds like you have taken that task on. It also sounds like you have an idea of what you want. You don't want to stand aside a great ruler, but someone you love. I guess I forgot about how important that can be. It came so easy for me, I loved your mother and she loved me back and there was no question that I would fit the role of king. For you it seems to be more difficult."

"Yeah just a little," Daisy confesses.

"Well why don't you sleep on it then? You said you had two choices in mind and that is good enough for me, for now; but I would like a decision in the morning. Does that sound fair to you," King Floral asks, trying to be diplomatic.

"Yeah that sounds good," Daisy agrees.

"Good we have an agreement then. I hope the night proves enlightening," Thorne stands and hugs his daughter. "Have a good night Dear," the salt and pepper haired father bids his daughter before kissing her on the forehead and watching her disappear out of the throne room.

"I must admit I am surprised by you son," Hyacinth notes with a proud smile. "I thought you were going to make her choose someone tonight."

"That's what I wanted to do," Thorne admits," but a very wise woman told me that I have to consider what makes her happy, not just me." He looks over to his mother with a smile, "Although its killing me to let her do this on her own."

"Welcome to the joys of parenthood," Hyacinth laughs then walks over to her son. "You are doing a bang up job so far," she compliments as she hugs him. "Just don't blow it."

"Thanks Mom," he laughs then smiles appreciatively as he returns her hug. The pair then make their way to their rooms to rest for the night.


	30. Against the Grain

**Here we go chapter 30! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Mario characters, duh?**

**Chapter 30: Against the Grain**

After a restless night of thinking, the brunette princess wakes to the sun streaming into her room from the balcony door. Despite being groggy, she shoos out of bed, throwing her covers aside, and wonders over to the doors following the sound of muffled voices. She slowly opens the doors and sharply inhales as the chilly autumn morning air surrounds her, giving her goose bumps. Tiptoeing on the cold stone, she makes her way to the edge where she can see a congregation of villagers making their way to the castle. Her eyes widen when she notices some of them carrying cameras. _The press? Why would they be coming today? Oh wait, crap!_ The Sarsaraland princess bolts inside, closing the balcony doors behind her then drops down beside her bed to reach underneath for her suitcase. She pulls out the black rolling suitcase and flops it on the top of her disheveled comforter. Quickly she zips open the larger compartment and throws open the lid then dashes to her closet. Pulling out several of her signature dresses off of their hangers, she throws them on the bed then proceeds to gather casual clothes, undergarments, and a couple sets of pajamas. She piles the clothes on her bed then starts to neatly pack all of the clothes into the suitcase. Then she grabs all of the necessary toiletries and packs them away. Finally she changes from her pajamas into one of her yellow dresses, brushes her hair, puts on her crown, straightens her bed, slips on shoes, and pulls the suitcase off of the bed and walks to the door. She pauses and looks at her room once more then rushes down the hall to the stairs to find her father. After carefully navigating the stairs with her bulky luggage, she peers around the corner into the foyer to find the small gaggle of Sarsaraland's media casually standing inside. Quickly she sneaks into the kitchen where she bumps into Chizier.

"Princess Daisy good morning," the chibibo greets in a chipper tone. "How are you today? Nervous? I, personally, am so excited that this day has finally come," he gushes then his smile fades as he notices her luggage. "Wait, what's with the suitcase? You can't just leave when the press is awaiting your decision!"

"Chizier where is my father," Daisy asks, annoyed with the pushy royal vizier already.

"He is in the dining room with the princes," Chizier answers curtly.

"Could you ask him to come here," Daisy requests, trying to be as nice as possible.

"I will see if I can fetch him princess," the chibibo obliges with a snarky tone then disappears.

_I swear one of these days I'm going to squish him like a goomba_, the irked, desert princess thinks bitterly before her father enters through the door.

"Daisy dear, good morning," Thorne greets oddly chipper himself as she hugs her. Over her shoulder he spots the large suitcase. "So I take it you have made your decision."

"Dad please let me explain," Daisy pleads with urgency as she pulls out of the hug and looks him in the eye. "I did a lot of thinking last night and yes all of the men you picked would make a good king, well most of them," she detracts then shakes her head and gets back to point. "Anyways, they would make good rulers and are good men, and I did consider choosing Prince Peasley, but I..."

"Prince Peasley would be an excellent choice," King Floral interrupts, trying to make her reconsider.

"However, I did not choose him because," Daisy continues ignoring her father's interruption, "I know I would be happy, but not completely happy. I need to be with someone I can be myself with and have fun with. Not just a friend or associate, but someone who I can love for being them and have them love me back for being me." She pauses and glances down, "That person is not in that dining room."

"Do you know who this person is," Thorne prods.

"I think so," Daisy uneasily answers, while slightly blushing.

"'I think' is not really affirmative or encouraging," the salt and pepper haired king warns cautiously.

The Floral princess gulps then looks up at her imposing father, "I know who it is and where to go, but its kind of far from here."

"I figured you did, just wanted to see how committed you were," King Floral notes confidently as he pulls out some money from his pocket and hands it to her. "This is for your travel expenses."

"Thanks Dad," Daisy notes gratefully and hugs him again then pulls back, shooting him a questioning look. "You're not mad?"

"I am slightly concerned, but I had your grandmother's voice in my head telling me that I had to let you choose this on your own. I would have preferred you choosing a prince, but then again my father was not of royal blood himself and he made a great king. He also made my mother very happy," Thorne smiles.

"Maybe your not as stubborn as I think you are," Daisy jokes, appreciatively.

"Oh I am and you are too which is how I knew I could never change your mind, no matter how hard I try," the king sighs. "I just never thought between princes and plumbers that you would choose a plumber."

Daisy blushes even more, "You knew?"

"You might be stubborn, but discreet not so much," Thorne jabs with a smirk. "Now get going before I change my mind."

"Thanks again Dad," the princess thanks once more with a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you when I get there."

"Please do and tell my security specialist that I appreciate his help," Thorne adds causing Daisy to smile.

"Will do Dad; see ya later," she turns toward the door she came in.

"Daisy, don't forget to go out the back. I do not want the press to see you; I am going to deal with them myself," the king informs.

"Oh right, I didn't really want to deal with them anyway. Thanks, bye Dad," she bids him farewell and heads back up the stairs to the other side for the guard door hidden on the west side of the castle, carefully avoiding the crowd. As she reaches the small metal door, she hears someone calling for her in the background. She turns back to see Hyacinth running up wit a coat on her arm.

"Your father said you might be back here," Hyacinth puffs. "Here" the former queen hands the princess her red peat coat," you are going to need this. It is quite chilly outside."

Daisy smiles graciously, "Thanks Grandma."

"Oh before I forget, I bought you this," she pulls out a small red piece of paper and hands it to her granddaughter. "Two-way ticket voucher to Toad Town from me and Madeline. You will need to turn this in to get your ticket."

"Thanks," Daisy blushes, "Just one question, am I that obvious?"

The elderly Floral bursts out laughing, "We've live with you for years; of course you're going to be obvious to us! We still love you though," she smirks.

"Well gee fantastic," Daisy notes sarcastically, with an amused smile.

"Off you go my stubborn granddaughter, good luck!" Hyacinth bids Daisy farewell and watches the Sasaraland princess sneak out the guard doors. _Go get your plumber. Hmm, we taught her well didn't we Walt?_ She smile to herself and wipes a tear away from her eye then rushes back to the throne room.

As soon as she is out of sight of the castle, Daisy removes her crown and earrings and puts them in her suitcase then puts on her to cover up her bodice. _I shouldn't have warn one of my yellow dresses. Oh well, the red covers it up pretty well. Hopefully its enough so no one recognizes me; I don't want the paparazzi following me._ The brunette princess jogs down the dirt road, dragging her large rollingsuitcase behind her, trying to reach the train station before ten o'clock.

Hyacinth weaves her way through the packed throne room to the front where Madeline sits in a chair waiting for the king to begin the press conference. The former queen sits in the empty chair beside her. "You're here early," the elderly Floral notes to her nobokon friend.

"Had to see this for myself, your son never calls a big conference like this. Plus, there is no better seat in the house than right here; got to get here early to claim it," Madeline replies. "I can't believe she is going through with this though! After all that work of getting those two together," the blue-shelled nobokon sighs.

Hyacinth merely smiles, "I think you will be happy with the end result."

"You aren't going to tell me are you," Madeline questions with an arched eyebrow.

"Nope, I'm not," Hyacinth replies with a mischievous grin. "I want to see your reaction."

"Some friend, torturing me like this," Madeline exaggerates. "My nerves can't take this," the nobokon states feigning stress.

"Could everyone please take their seats," Chizier announces causing a hush to come over the room and a mass migration from the doors to the rows of chairs set in front of the raised platform set up for the occasion.

"Here we go," Hyacinth grins as she watches Chizier waits for everyone to settle then begins to speak again.

"Thank you all for coming, the king appreciates your support and patience. Now without further ado, King Floral," Chizier introduces, but the king is not the only one who comes onto the stage; the five courtiers accompany him. They sit down in the chairs set up on the platform as the king steps forward to address the crowd.

"Thank you Chizier," Thorne notes before turning his attention to the crowd. "Welcome citizens of the Sasaraland Kingdom and thank you for joining me here today. There are a couple of topics I wish to speak of: the present and the future of this kingdom. First; however, we must touch upon the past. More specifically, the invasion that occurred merely two weeks ago. We have suffered through worse tragedies than this, but this invasion showed me the weaknesses this kingdom possesses. We never thought that such a large kingdom would come after our own and that is where our fault lies."

"I plan on stepping up our defensive forces. That means more guards, more soldiers, and more artillery. We cannot stand by and let our kingdom get taken advantage of again. Those additional troops will supply us with not only more security, but with more jobs and piece of mind. Along with more forces, I am also initiating a new construction project of a network of sentinel towers along our borders and some leading inward, so that the respective divisions of our forces can be alerted earlier to attacks. Each tower will approximately take a year or two to complete. My hope is to have one tower in each of the different lands of the kingdom worked on at the same time with an ending total of six to seven towers in each land. With each land able to work on their own respective towers, the entire project should only take eight to ten years. With that being said are there any questions," Thorne asks, grateful to take a breath. A mummer comes from the crowd then several hands spring into the air.

She finally steps onto the concrete platform and hustles over to the ticket counter. A pionpi sits on the other side of the glass, his eyes fixed on the pile of papers he is filling out. Daisy gently taps on the glass until her looks up. "Excuse me I would like to take the 10:15 train to Toad Town," the Sarsaraland princess informs as she slides the red voucher in the slot under the window. The zombie teller grumbles vexed, and without looking up, prints out a receipt, stamps it, and slides it under the window. "Thanks," the brunette notes sarcastically with an arched eyebrow before walking back to the platform to wait for the train. _How rude! If you don't want to be here why bother coming? I know its work, but you could pretend you're happy to be here,_ Daisy sighs as she sits down on one of the benches. _I guess I should just be happy he didn't recognize me._ She cranes her head to look back at the ticket counter, more specifically the clock above it; it reads 10:05. _Ten minutes, I hope they fly by quickly._

After Thorne answers, what Chizier deemed as, the last question, he clears his throat and addresses the audience once more. "Now I wish to touch upon the present, as you all know the five gentlemen behind me have been living in the castle in attempt to court my daughter and possibly find the next king of Sarsaraland. Despite a rough beginning, this little experiment has taught all of us a couple of things. I would say that the princes have gained a thorough understanding of the amount of work it takes to run a kingdom and the stress that comes along with it. I have personally learned a couple of things myself about being a father," Thorne pauses with a smile. The king shakes his head and refocuses on the audience. "Anyway, I spoke with my daughter about her feeling on the topic last night and this morning. After speaking with her, I have decided to end the experiment as she has made a decision."

The crowd's eyes focus intently on the king. Madeline is one of those people, holding onto the bottom of her seat anxiously. The princes onstage behind King Floral also anxiously wait to hear the verdict; hoping their name is called, except one. Waluigi sits reclined, his legs outstretched and crossed while his hands hold his lounging head. _Pfft, look at these losers all nervous, too bad they are about to get shot down. She's all mine. They get one taste of a bad boy, they never go back. Not to mention that lovely little connection we had during dancing practice. Don't matter that she was angry last time we talked, especially since Crybaby is gone,_ the lanky Wario Brother smugly thinks.

"Due to strong feelings, my daughter has decided to choose none of these suitors that sit behind me. Thank you all for coming," King Floral hurries off the platform as the crowd simultaneously gasps then drowns the throne room with gossipy chatter.

Madeline looks to her friend, "She didn't choose any of them?"

Hyacinth replies with a broad smile as she shakes her head 'no'.

"Where is she now," Madeline asks, hoping to hear a certain answer.

"On a train to the Mushroom Kingdom," Hyacinth blurts with a grin from ear to ear.

"Yea! All that work wasn't a waste! They'll be so good together! I'm so happy," the blue-shelled nobokon exclaims as she jumps to her feet and hugs Hyacinth.

"What? This is an outrage," Waluigi stomps. "What was the point of coming if she was going to pick no one?"

"A woman's heart is unpredictable Duke Waluigi. How could anyone have known she was going to chase after the security specialist," Chizier notes then addresses a different concern. "I will arrange for your transportation back to Diamond City," the chibibo informs as he follows the king's path.

The Wario Brother's jaw drops then closes as he grits his teeth and clenches his fists in anger. "I don't want to go back to Diamond City and face my brother; I want to stay here and be the next king," Waluigi grumbles as he eye twitches. "DAMN THAT GREEN WEARING, CRYING, GOODY-TOOSHU PLUMBER!"

The long five hour train ride is a blur for Daisy as she catches up on the sleep she lost the night before. The familiar buzz of the speaker engaging and the conductor's droning voice announcing their arrival at Toad Town arouses her from her sleep. She wipes the sleep out of her eyes and stretches her arms, making sure not to hit the shy guy sitting next to her. The desert princess stands as the train slows to a halt and she carefully maneuvers around the masked minion as she excuses herself. Quickly she grabs her bag from the overhead compartment and makes her way to the front to the exit. As the brunette princess steps out onto the train station platform, she wastes no time in orienting herself and making her way to a quaint bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town where she had stayed for the first tennis tournament, before she and Peach became really close. Although she has not stayed with them for awhile, the princess trusts the proprietors; as they kept quiet about her first visit, so they have proven themselves in her eyes. _I hope they have room for me. I know this is last minute, so I should come up with a backup just in case,_ Daisy mulls over as she walks up to the two-story, blue roofed cottage. She opens the wrought iron gate, steps on up to the honey oak door, and gently knocks on it.

An elderly goomba with glasses peers out of the door at the princess. "Yes may I help you?"

"Hi Mr. Matsutake, I was just wondering if you had a room available for tonight," Daisy asks loudly, remembering that the goomba is hard of hearing.

"Why yes I do have one available," Mr. Matsutake replies then studies her up and down. "Have we met before young lady? You look and sound awfully familiar..."

"Yes Mr. Matsutake, I'm Daisy," she answers. "Daisy Floral," she explains further as the goomba still looks lost. "Princess Daisy from Sarsaraland?"

"Ah Daisy, yes yes! I haven't seen you in awhile! Please come in," the goomba welcomes as he opens the door and waits for her to step in before shutting it once more. "What brings you here to us today my dear?"

"Oh I'm just visiting friends," Daisy replies.

"And you are not staying at the castle? That's rather odd," Mr. Matsutake observes as she waddles to a small side table to grab a set of keys.

"Its a surprise visit; I don't want anyone to know I'm here yet," the princess explains as vaguely as possible.

"Ah well I'm sure they will be pleasantly surprised," the elderly goomba smiles.

"I hope you're right," Daisy hopes.

"Now if you will follow me; I will show you your room," Mr. Matsutake instructs as he leads her to a staircase and hops up the stairs.


	31. The Last Word

**Wooo, long one! Last chapter! I am finished! Enjoy the end guys ^_^**

**Disclaimer: Never have and never will own the Mario characters; they are property of Nintendo.**

**Chapter 31: The Last Word**

Mario sighs as he pokes the piece of chocolate gnocchi cake with his fork, completely uninterested and distracted.

"Mario, you have barely touched your cake, its your favorite," Peach notes concerned. "I know you're worried about your brother, but you can't worry like this. You will give yourself and ulcer if you do!"

"I can't help it. I'm so frustrated with him! No matter what I do I can't get him to cheer up or even give me a smile! I feel like we've regressed back to when you and I had started dating. He isolates himself in our room and only leaves to do chores around the house," Mario complains.

"Give Master Luigi some time Master Mario," Toadsworth interjects between bites. "I am sure after some time he will come around."

"Yeah, but I have a feeling that this time it might take a lot longer than last time," Mario assumes as he looks over to Peach, nonverbally communicating why he assumes such.

The Mushroom Kingdom princess nods in agreement. "I fear it might be longer than any of us want, as an important decision was made," Peach hints to Mario while trying to keep Toadsworth in the dark.

"Oh boy," Mario mumbles, "it just gets worse."

"Oh yes, Chizier was suppose to call me and let me know how that went," the elderly toad adds casually. The plumber and princess stare at him in astonishment. "Master Mario, Princess did you honestly believe I did not know what was going on? I am a royal consul, its my job to know what is going on in my family and those close by."

"Well, I'll never underestimate you again," Mario replies apologetically.

"Its is all right Master Mario, I understand you wishing to protect your brother's personal life. I have to say Master Luigi is not as opaque about his emotions like he should be."

Mario cannot help, but let out a small chuckle. "I know, but he tries."

"Well practice does make perfect; he will just need to partake in a lot of practice. A couple years worth perhaps."

"Toadsworth that is not nice," Peach responds slightly shocked by the consul's bluntness.

"Sorry Princess, it was a little candid," Toadsworth apologizes. After an accepting nod from Peach, Toadsworth continues. "Back to the subject at hand, I do not understand why Chizier has not called yet. Hmm, maybe I should call him and check up on the situation."

"Mario we should do the same," the blonde princess blurts out in epiphany.

"Call Chizier," Mario asks confused.

"No we should visit Luigi and check up on him. You know, go cheer him up," Peach explains.

"Excellent idea! If he won't come out and have fun then we will take the fun to him," Mario happily exclaims.

"We can go after we finish eating," Peach notes with a smile.

"Now Princess hold on! I will not let you leave unescorted," Toadsworth interjects protectively.

"I will be with Mario, isn't that good enough," the princess asks vexed.

"Not with Bowser on the loose once more," the elderly consul notes.

"But I do not need a whole army following me," Peach argues.

"No army, but I would feel better if you would allow me to come along," the consul negotiates.

"All right," Peach agrees as Mario rolls his eyes.

"Excellent after dessert then," Toadsworth reiterates as they all turn back to the cake in front of them.

After leaving the bed and breakfast, Daisy took the long road around most of Toad Town to avoid being noticed, and now stands in front of the small wooden house belonging to the Mario Brothers. _Well here goes nothing,_ the brunette princess thinks as she takes a deep breath and walks up to the door. She raises her hand to knock on the door then stops as she notices the door is not latched. Gently she pushes open the door and peers in, "Hello?" The Sarsaraland princess scans the room and finds it empty. _Hmm where could he be?_ She walks further into the room and notices the stairs on her left. _Maybe up there?_

The small, red, day calendar stands at the corner of the desk with the day, the 18th, in big bold numbers; beside it in small blue writing a memo is written, it reads 'Daisy's D-Day'. _Is it really already here,_ Luigi sighs as eh stares at his own handwriting. He reaches out and lays the calendar facedown on the desk and stands up from his desk chair. _I should have just left the desk in the basement despite the chill of winter coming._ He turns from the desk and flops onto his bed and stares at the wood planks that support Mario's bed above his. _Its all for the best right? I mean, I'm not king material! She needs someone that is brave, smart, and put together; I'm none of those things! I get scared, I'm not the smartest cookie in the box, and I am an emotional and mental mess! Look at me! I am depressive and moody, yet an optimist, figure that one out. I have no self-esteem then I have a second personality, who beats me down. Well had one, thank goodness he's gone, but he was right wasn't he? I am not good enough and too stubborn to see it. What kind of stable person has all of these problems? I can't ask someone with such vibrancy, confidence, and grace to be with someone as messed up as me! Although I'm starting to wish I had,_ the depressed plumber sighs. _Geez I'm even arguing with myself, how sane is that?_ Luigi rolls onto his side to face the wall and hopefully fall asleep, as that is the only time he feels okay with himself. As he shuts his eyes, a faint thudding from the stairs grabs his attention. _Must be Mario,_ he shakes off the startling noise and closes his eyes once more. The door swings open and a familiar female catches him off guard.

"Luigi," Daisy calls out as she pokes her head into the room.

"Daisy!" Luigi haphazardly sits up, not paying attention to the lack of head room, and smacks his head into the bottom of Mario's bunk. The recoil sends him back down, holding his head. "Ow ow ow; stupid bunk, ow," he grumbles.

"Luigi are you okay," Daisy asks trying not to laugh.

"Yea, yea I'm fine," Luigi notes as he cautiously slides out from the bottom bunk and stands in front of his unexpected visitor. "Um hi, what brings you here, to my room," Luigi asks nervously.

"Well I cam for some answers," Daisy informs assertively. "For instance, why did you just rush off after beating Bowser and not even take the time to tell me what was going on?"

"I was worried about my brother at the time..."

"Then why wasn't there a call or something afterwards," Daisy presses.

"Because I didn't feel like I could talk to you. I thought you were angry..."

"I was and still am! You get close to me, sacrifice yourself to save me, then you just drop a bomb on me and leave! How is that fair?"

"Its not really, but I..."

"No its not fair! How would you like it if I did that to you? And to not give an explanation is just the kicker!"

"I tried to explain..."

"What that you're not good enough for me? I've heard that line before. Sounds like commitment issues to me," Daisy observes bitterly.

"It wasn't a line and I don't have commitment issues," the younger Mario Brother defends, yelling back. "I have a lot of other ones though," he notes somberly, "ones I thought you shouldn't have to deal with."

"I don't understand why you think I can't or won't handle whatever you are going through," Daisy notes, confused; "but I am the one who should determine that, not you or my father or Chizier. I am an adult who can weight the risks and benefits of my actions and decisions," Daisy asserts.

"I'm sorry, you're my friend and I was just trying to do what was best for you," the green clad plumber apologizes.

"Its alright," Daisy sighs. "I appreciate you trying to protect me, but it really hurt."

"I'm sorry," Luigi repeats, downtrodden and feeling guilty, unsure what to say.

"Well now that I have my answers, I can tell you the other reason I'm here," Daisy transitions. "Do you know what today is?"

Luigi sighs, "Yes I do." He walks over to the desk, picks up the overturned calendar and shows her the day. "Today is the day you pick one of the princes to date," Luigi answers softly, disappointed that he could not avoid the topic. "I assume you have made your decision," the plumber deduces with a heavy heart.

"Yeah I though you would be a little more excited," Daisy notes.

"I am," Luigi answers with a forced smile. "Glad that the experiment is over and you found someone you want to be with."

"Yes well I did pick the person who I though was not only a good fit for the kingdom, but the best for me," Daisy explains. "I wasn't sure at first, but after some extra steps I am positive now. Hence why I chose no one."

Luigi steps back in shock, "Nobody?" he chews on her answer for a moment then looks at her in confusion. "So nobody is good enough for the kingdom or you, but you made it sound like you actually chose someone."

"No that's not what I meant," Daisy replies nervously.

"But you just said that you chose no one," Luigi reiterates.

"No one in that group," Daisy explains.

"No one in that group," he clarifies, "so that means you did actually choose someone."

The brunette princess nods her head affirming his observation. "I meant what I said when we were in my room sitting on the bed. I didn't and don't like any of the suitors. I just had to figure out everything including why you left so abruptly. Now that I know you were just trying to look out for me, even though you were wrong; it shows that you do care and your intentions are good. I can tell you now why I didn't choose a prince. I choose you instead; my sensitive, nervous, caring bodyguard/plumber." She smiles widely, hopeful as she takes his hand. "Will you go out with me?"

"Me really? Even after all the stupid things I did? It thought you would never want to date someone like me," Luigi blushes profusely. "I mean, yes, of course yes. I've like you ever since I met you, you know. I just was too shy; I didn't know what to say and I thought I would sound desperate or stupid because I tend to either claim up or ramble when I'm nervous and I know that can be annoying..."

"Luigi," Daisy interrupts and takes his face in her hands.

"Yes?"

"You're rambling," the desert princess informs with a smile.

"Oh yes, I am. Sorry," he apologizes. His eyes meet hers and slips into a daze as an euphoric smile grows upon his face.

"Luigi are you okay," the Sarsaraland princess asks with a smirk, enjoying his dazed smile.

"Its those eyes," he replies dreamily. "I don't what it is about them, but I get lost every time and I'm not in a hurry to find my way back out."

It is Daisy's turn to blush, flattered. "You know what to say to flabbergast a woman don't you?"

"Sorry," he unwittingly apologizes still dazed.

The brunette giggles, "You don't need to apologize, you goofball." She tilts her head and brushes a fallen eyelash off of his cheek with her thumb. "Such a cute goofball though," she leans in and pulls him closer as she purses her lips. Gently, she presses her lips to his causing his eyes to widen in shock then close to fully enjoy the display of affection.

"Now see there's Mario's house. We made it without any trouble," Peach points out to her overly cautious and protective toad consul.

"One cannot be too careful my dear, especially with your history," Toadsworth replies candidly.

Peach squints her eyes angrily, clenches her fists, and grits her teeth; sick of the elderly toad's persistent nagging and know-it-all attitude. Her jaw unhinges as she feels Mario's hand rest upon her lower back, sympathetic to her cause.

"All that matters is we made it," Mario notes as she escorts Peach, by the hand, up the walk to the front door. "Now lets, uh," the Mushroom Kingdom hero stops as he notices the front door left unlatched. "That's weird, Luigi is usually anal about keeping the door shut. Hmm, must have forgot," Mario hypothesizes then leads the princess and Toadsworth into the house. After making sure his guests are inside, the older Mario Brother looks around to find the foyer, living room, and kitchen empty, but clean. _Must have cleaned today, so where is he working now?_

She only lingers for a moment before parting her lips from his and stepping back. "Wow that was worth the wait," she whispers.

"Uh huh," Luigi agrees still entranced; the taste of her tangerine lip gloss still imprinted on his lips. He looks into her eyes once more as he gently grasps her wrists and pushes her hands down, away from his face, and clasps them in his. "I hope I am not being too forward; I've never done this before," the green clad man notes softly as he lets go of her left hand raises his hand to her face. After running his fingers down the side of her face, he slides his hand around the back of her neck to her head and pulls her in toward him for another kiss. His heart pounds heavily and his knees quake as their lips meet once more; not as gently this time, but more forcefully and passionate. His fingers dig into her hair and his other hand slides up her arm and glides to the small of her back pressing her up against him.

Daisy's eyes widen as she is taken off guard by the usually meek plumber's forcefulness. She does not fight it , however; as she enjoys the change of pace and sudden adrenaline rush. She starts to move her arms up to grab onto his shoulders when he suddenly breaks off and steps back.

"I'm, I'm sorry that was too forceful. I know it was; I didn't mean to push you," Luigi apologizes profusely, feeling guilty, as his face flushes to burgundy. "I don't know what came over me," he notes as he looks awkwardly at his feet and rubs the back of his head nervously.

"Forceful? Forward yes; forceful no," Daisy clarifies. A sly smirk grows on her face as she slides her fingers under the plumber's chin and pushes his face up so she can look him in the eyes. "I will show you forceful," she challenges playfully as she wraps her arms around his neck and uses her weight to push him against the wall. He collides into the wall with a loud thud. The shock of the collision causes the younger Mario Brother's mouth to open as the air rapidly escapes his lungs; giving Daisy the opportunity she is looking for. She smashes her mouth to his, engulfing his lips into a deep, passionate kiss.

Mario's head perks up as a soft thud echoes through the room, catching his attention. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what," Peach asks concerned and confused.

"That thud," Mario answers as he steps toward the kitchen. "I think it came from the basement," the older brother hypothesizes. "I am going to check it out." He opens a door in the hall alongside the kitchen and starts walking down the wooden steps.

"Hold on, I'll come with you," Peach volunteers then carefully proceeds down the stairs after the red clad plumber; leaving Toadsworth upstairs.

"The plumber and princess reach the bottom of the stairs and step onto the floor of the dark, dank basement. Mario claws the air to find the string to the single light bulb hanging from the cent support beam while trying not to trip over anything. He finally finds the string and yanks it down, illuminating the room so the pair can walk safely around. "Hmm, looks like nothing down here," Mario notes as he scans the room then stops as he notices a sizeable vacancy along the opposite wall. "Huh, Luigi must have been down here earlier." Peach looks at him confused and Mario points to the wall. "His desk is gone. He uses it quite a bit to write in his journal and when it starts getting colder he moves it back up to the bedroom."

"Oh so he must be upstairs then," Peach assumes.

"Probably so, why I didn't think of that earlier I don't know. Well lets head back up then," Mario suggests as he carefully leads the way after yanking the string once more.

Her hand slowly slides up his neck to the back of his head where she scrunches her hand up, leaving only her fingertips in contact with his scalp. She lightly grazes his head with her fingernails which sends chills down his spine causing him to hold onto her more tightly. She works her fingertips up his scalp, under the edge of his hat then stops. She pulls back, breaking off her series of deep kisses.

As the kissing stops, the plumber slowly opens his eyes, as if drunk, to find daisy watching him, smiling. "What," he asks embarrassed, cheeks tinged with red.

"Nothing," Daisy replies innocently then grabs the brim of the plumber's hat with her right hand and tosses it out the door. "Just think you look better without the hat," she answers with a light peck to the cheek. "And gives me better access when its gone," she purrs in his ear. She pulls him off of the wall and walks backward to the bunks. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she tries to pull him with her, but he breaks off hesitantly. "What's wrong," the desert princess asks concerned.

"The bed already? I mean don't you think that's going a little too fast," the younger Mario Brother asks uncomfortably.

"What exactly do you think we're going to do on this bed," Daisy asks with a smirk.

"Well I...I don't know, that's why I am questioning," Luigi stammers uneasy.

Daisy chuckles at him. "I am not going that far silly boy," she reassures. "I just thought it would be nice to get off of our feet and maybe not have you pinned against a hard wall; although it does have it advantages."

"Oh, heh heh, sorry didn't mean to assume," the younger Mario Brother apologizes as he rubs his head, embarrassed.

"Uh huh," Daisy jabs sarcastically with a snicker then she pats the spot beside her, inviting him to sit down.

He gladly accepts the invitation and sits beside her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to assume its just been a long time since I have dated, let alone be with someone I really care about and...," Luigi starts explaining until daisy places her right index finger on his lips, stopping him.

"Silly boy, you don't have to explain," she informs as she slowly draws her finger down away from his mouth. "Just relax and enjoy, there is no pressure. Go at your own pace."

"Well that's good to know," the green clad man sighs in relief then turns to the brunette princess and takes her face into his hands once more. "Because I would like to take it slow and enjoy every moment with you." He pulls her to him and kisses her, slowly working his tongue to hers then falls back onto the bed, pulling her down with him.

Toadsworth waits impatiently next to the kitchen, staring at the basement door. _Frankly, I do not believe that noise came from the basement, but it is Master Mario's home so maybe the acoustics are different here. I do hope we find master Luigi soon so we may all head back to the castle; its much safer there I find._ As the elderly toad consul paces mentally, a soft thud on the floor behind him startles his mind out of his pacing. "By jov, what was that," Toadsworth gasps surprised. He turns around to find a green hat setting on the floor. "Why its Master Luigi's hat, but where did it come from," the brow spotted toad ponders as he picks up the hat then looks up to the floor above. After stepping back a couple of feet, the Mushroom Kingdom consul notices a door cracked open upstairs. "Ah so that's where you've been hiding!" He scrambles up the stairs and to the door as Mario and Peach emerge from the basement.

"Where did Toadsworth go," Peach asks concerned when she cannot spot him on the ground floor.

"I don't now, maybe he went to check up...," Mario begins to reply when he is interrupted.

"MASTER LUIGI! I am very disappointed in you! This is no way to act! Now get downstairs immediately," Toadsworth orders loudly and angrily.

"Now listen here, who says you are in command in my house and ow ow ow! Let go of my ear, ow ow ow!" Luigi tries to refute, but is led down the stairs by the scolding royal consul, holding him by the ear.

"To think we came here to cheer you up," Toadsworth continues to scold as he leads the young plumber to Mario and Peach. "I wish we would have known you were engaged in other activities then we would not have our tea." The elderly toad finally lets go of Luigi's ear, but is not done with him yet. "What do you have to say for yourself young man?"

"I wish you had called before you came over," Luigi grumbles.

Toadsworth squints irately at the younger Mario Brother. "I am certain you do," the elderly toad notes as he crosses his arms then looks to Mario. "I would have hoped that you would have taught him better."

"Taught him better," Mario repeats, shocked at Toadsworth's sudden accusation. "Taught him better of what?" Toadsworth rolls his eyes vexed, then stomps back upstairs; leaving the brothers and Peach standing in silence. "Well I don't know what you did to get his trousers in a bunch, but I don't care; just glad you were doing something other than chores and moping around."

"Thanks bro, I do feel a lot better," Luigi replies with a smile. The smile fades, however; to confusion as he watches Mario stare at him with a puzzled look. "What?"

"Sorry I just saw something on your neck, it looks like an orange oily substance," Mario observes then turns to Peach. "Do you see it?"

"No," Peach replies then steps closer to the younger Mario Brother, grabs his collar and pulls it down to inspect further. "Oh that, it looks kind of sparkly too and smells like citrus. Hey the skins looks red too. Luigi you should wash this off it looks like you are having a bad reaction to it," Peach suggests.

"What were you doing up there Luigi," Mario asks, curiosity leading to his question.

"Uh.., um I," Luigi begins to stammer, but is interrupted by Toadsworth swinging open the bedroom door upstairs and yelling.

"As for you, you should definitely know better! That is not how royalty acts! I want you downstairs immediately," the elderly toad commands.

"You might boss Peach around, but you have no authority over me! I am perfectly capable of handling myself and making my own decisions, so butt out," Daisy screeches back as she walks over to the stairs and begins to descend them.

"You may be able to handle yourself, but obviously not in the proper manner young lady," Toadsworth huffs as he follows her down the stairs. "I should not have to break you two apart from such activities!"

"Its called making out, its not a big deal. Normal couples do it all the time, so stop acting like we were doing something illegal," Daisy shoots back at the motherly consul.

"You are a princess there are rules to abide by, so this is not considered normal for you," Toadsworth contends, continuing their argument.

Luigi turns beet red and covers his face with his hands in embarrassment as Mario and Peach look at him in shock. _Oh why did she have to say that?_

"Luigi, I'm so surprised! I didn't know you guys were together," Peach notes.

"It just happened," Luigi replies, muffled, hands still hiding his face.

"Well I am shocked," Mario states.

Luigi peers out from between his fingers to look at his brother. "Sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry? What are you sorry for? I'm proud," Mario grins then punches his younger brother playfully in the shoulder. "My brother got his princess; you sly dog you," Mario grabs Luigi around the neck and gives him a noogie.

After freeing himself of Mario's grip, Luigi find his hat on the ground and puts it on, then turns to his brother. "Uh thanks I guess."

"And you Master Luigi," Toadsworth turns and glares at the plumber.

"Oh no," the younger Mario Brother gulps.

"How could you conduct in and encourage such behavior? With your knowledge of how a princess is suppose to act, how could you conduct yourself in such a manner?" Toadsworth questions like a detective would interrogate a suspect.

"I, I," Luigi stammers.

"You, you what? Let me guess, you were not thinking or did not care? Well Master Luigi that is not acceptable! You don't see your brother acting this way do you? He at least accepts and abides by the rules," Toadsworth lectures.

"Toadsworth stop it," Mario snaps.

"Master Mario I am trying to make a point. That he should learn from you and act appropriately," Toadsworth explains.

"I AM NOT MARIO!" Luigi yells frustrated. "Listen Toadsworth you're right okay, I was not behaving properly, but frankly I don't care."

"Well that is apparent," Toadsworth interjects sarcastically.

Luigi sighs, irked by the consul's high and mighty attitude, but continues. "I was in the moment! I am head over heels for this woman who just happened to be kissing me at the time. Of course, I am not going to follow the rules of 'proper' behavior! Its stupid anyway, its not like we were in public or anything!"

"Amen to that," Daisy agrees with a grin as she walks over to Luigi and wraps her arms around his shoulders then kisses him on the cheek, proud he actually spoke up against Toadsworth. "See Toadsworth, I am not the only one who doesn't like your authority."

"Nope, don't like it at all," the younger Mario Brother babbles, dazed and love struck once more. Mario and Peach chuckle at Luigi's absentmindedness causing him to blush more.

"Well you two may not care for my authority, but I am going to exercise it," Toadsworth exclaims. "We are all going back to the castle to indulge in wholesome activities! Now come on, follow me everyone." The elderly consul herds the groaning pair of couples out the door and to the castle.


	32. Epilogue

**I lied, hee hee! Just wanted to throw this out, making no promises; just ideas...**

**Disclaimer: ...we know don't we?**

**Chapter 32: Epilogue**

On a distant continent across the vast ocean, lies a tranquil pond in the middle of a field. A farm pond, where cows commonly gather to drink while the water level is still high. Two cows, one brown spotted and one black spotted, approach the calm pond and disturb the smooth surface of the water as they bow their heads and take a drink. The ripples the cows cause are small and dissipate rather quickly as they travel away from their point of origin. The black and white cow lifts its head, as if it heard something lurking behind them, and scans the area. The other cow stops drinking, but keeps its head hovering inches over the water's surface. The brown cow watches as it waits for the black cow to signal whether there is danger or not. Suddenly the brown cow's snout is pulled down into the water, causing panic. The black spotted cow flees as the brown spotted cow struggles to pull its nose up out of the water, unsure of what is pulling it down. It walks backwards to drag the oppressing force ashore. The brown cow makes process despite the lack of oxygen it is receiving. As it pulls back to the shore, the oppressing force is revealed, a gray gloved hand is clenched on the cow's snout. The cow wiggles free of the grip and runs of, leaving the gray covered hand lying limp on the very edge of the shore; its black clad arm trailing behind into the pond's water. Suddenly the hand and arm springs to life as it reaches for a spot to hold onto. Clutching a clump of grass and a tree root, the hand gains hold and allows for the rest of the body to emerge from the water of the pond.

After catching his breath, the figure stands and takes in his surroundings. A satisfied smirk spreads across his face. _Well its not what I had hoped for, but its better than my last residence. Bloody clouds and mirrors, gave me such a headache. Perhaps this shall also be temporary as well._ The wind blows in from the west and he turns to face it, with a glint of mischievousness in his storm cloud eyes. "It is time to return to the Mushroom Kingdom and face my Junior once more," his grin becomes wider as he strives off toward the coast.


End file.
